Affinity
by Tempest Kiro
Summary: A bold ambush targeting Karl Lichten Schubaltz plunges him into an investigation deep into the past, to a time when the Empire and the Republic were one, and when his father had been alive. Pairing: KarlxOC
1. Ambush

It's been years since I've come back onto and I think it's about time I finally put up a fanfiction in honour and worship of my favouritest Colonel of all time.

I shall be using Australian English, which has different spelling to that of American English. One example of which is "honour" which I'm pretty sure is spelt "honor" in American.

I welcome any and all constructive criticism of my work, especially in pointing out plot holes and/or contradictions between this story and the actual anime. Feel free to yell "Objection!"

I'm also aware of there being a relatively unknown official pairing of Karl's in the manga series. A female imperial soldier by the name of Kirsche Hartriegel. Under normal circumstances when I discover a character already has a potential pairing determined for him by the original creator I would respect it and not mess around with it. However, as I am using the anime version, he is not shown to have such a pairing and would therefore indicate open season... right?

So as a pre-warning, as I'm not sure if I am breaking my own rules or not, there is a pairing of Karl x OC at some point in the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Zoids or any of the characters in relation.

A/N: For anyone interested, I have added a brief index at the end of some chapters that contains data on the specifics of zoids and/or pilots of relevance.

* * *

Affinity

Chapter 1: Ambush

Three hours past dawn and already the desert sun was beating down on the shimmering sand.

No wind blew today, clear vision was guaranteed.

This was not a good thing.

A mottled sand-yellow Liger lay half buried in the West side of a dune, ensuring that it is not visible to anyone moving west, tough it was hardly visible to anyone headed east anyway. Only the top of the zoid's mottled head was showing, almost perfectly camouflaged against the still sand.

If the sands shifted even a little then it would have blended in perfectly.

This was a flaw that the pilot would have to compensate for.

Nothing was allowed to go wrong today.

Nothing.

"Target approaching five minutes away and counting. Stay vigilant people." The com buzzed. "He ain't gonna be an easy egg to crack"

The pilot chuckled.

"Isn't that why the pay was so high?"

"So you see why we can't afford to screw around with this one." The com buzzed off.

The pilot inspected all the systems for the last time. Sand filters- clear, energy levels- adequate, thrusters, armour, weaponry all fully functional.

It was estimated that the target was to move in a westerly direction through this area with an allowed deviation of five hundred meters. This was meticulously calculated. No room for error was allowed.

Looking up the pilot scanned the dunes visually spotting faint signs of other zoids hidden in the sand, stuttered in an irregular line. All of them had the top of their heads exposed. This was necessary to keep sand from trickling into the spark systems located just above the cockpits. Usually a little sand was fine but no one was going to take any chances.

They were all buried on the west side to compensate for the disappointing lack of motion in the sand.

The ambush was planned to be after he passed the initial line of hidden zoids. The Ligers were deployed in pairs as their functions complimented each other, one to shield, the other to stun.

The Hellcat and Shield Ligers have the job of finishing him. The pilot had no powerful weaponry installed on the Spark Liger; this unit's primary function was to disable other zoids.

A total of seven men are deployed on this assassination mission, three Shield Ligers, three Spark Ligers and one Hellcat.

The target is one of the best soldiers in the empire, if not _the_ best. His skills were legendary.

The pilot took a quick gulp of water.

What a day for perfect visibility.

* * *

At the age of twenty-nine, Colonel Karl Schubaltz was the youngest officer of his rank and one of the most revered pilots of the Empire. Having played a crucial role in defeating the Deathsaurer, not only once but twice, his skills were unquestioned-

And now about to be thoroughly tested.

Completely oblivious of the hidden danger ahead of him, the young colonel travelled the predetermined course in Iron Kong. He was called to a confidential meeting with the Guardian Force.

Thus he travelled, without his usual cohort of soldiers.

Completely unaware that he had been betrayed.

The crucial information regarding his destination, manner of travel and time plans had been leaked out to external sources.

And now the plans have been set in motion.

"Target in sight"

* * *

Karl's alertness was not at a hundred percent. He had already been travelling for two hours having set out at almost the crack of dawn. Yet he still glanced at his radar frequently while scanning the sand for any signs of motion. A habit drilled into him from years of military training.

He stifled a yawn; the complete stillness of the monotonous landscape was not the most stimulating.

His eyes were already telling him what he was expecting to see... ridge upon ridge of fine loose sand.

This was why his eyes did not pick up the almost invisible irregularities sitting upon the base of the dunes he passed.

But when he finally heard the shifting of the sand, the whirr of motors and the groan of hydraulics, it was too late.

He spun his Iron Kong around, ready to line up sight against the source of the noise. Not intending to fire in case it was an innocent passer-by. The mid-morning sunlight immediately blinding him.

Through his squinting eyes, he spotted two Ligers rushing towards him, glistening sand still trickling off their chassis.

They were quite obviously not just passing by.

Without a second thought Karl fired his Kong's beam cannon at the closest Liger. It ripped through the Liger's right forepaw joint at the shoulder, completely tearing its front leg off. It fell on its side struggling to regain its feet.

Karl quickly turned his attention to the second Liger. It stood directly in line with the sun so Karl could not look directly at it.

Quickly manoeuvring his zoid Karl positioned it to avoid the direct glare of the sun and to evade any potential attacks directed at him.

Now he spotted more Ligers emerging from the sand hidden in the dunes in a visible line, all waiting in ambush for when he stepped past them and into this trap.

Cursing his lapse of concentration he retreated as far back east as he could, hoping to put the sun's glare behind him. Unfortunately his opponents felt the same way. They manoeuvred quickly, blocking off his retreat.

Unable to see his enemies Karl fired blindly into the sun, all the while keeping his Iron Kong mobile to evade any attacks.

He did not expect attacks to come from behind.

Two bullets ploughed into the back of his Kong, damaging the thrusters.

Completely disorientated Karl spun around scanning the sand for more Ligers. He saw nothing. This added to his distress as he turned back towards the glare of the sun to face his more existent enemies.

He paid dearly for that moment of distraction.

That split second was all that was needed for two Ligers to close in.

Still squinting, Karl let off a volley at the Ligers.

The two Ligers immediately fell into an obviously well rehearsed formation, the slighter build one falling directly behind the bulkier one. The shields went up. Karl's shots bounced harmlessly off.

This was a common formation used for Shield Liger warfare, however Karl did not have long to dwell on this fact.

The Shield Liger ploughed into his Kong, though he had been ready for this. He plunged his Kong's hands through the Liger's shields catching it before it reached the main body. The dense alloy of the armoured limb peeled off as it entered through the shield.

Karl grabbed on and smashed the Shield Liger into the ground with the powerful arms of the Iron Kong. At the same instant he fired the shoulder cannon at the other offending zoid that hid in the shadow of the Shield Liger.

That Liger did not even try to avoid the attack. It took the hit directly below the cockpit, blasting off its lower jaw. However it continued to run straight at Karl.

Abandoning his hold on the first Liger, he swung at the second sending it flying.

However the moment his zoid made contact, a surge of electricity ran through his zoid. The system stalled for a fraction of a second but that was all it took for another Liger to approach.

It latched on with its teeth and blasted an electric current through the Kong.

The system froze. Karl hit the reboot, willing it to reanimate quickly. It did not respond. In desperation he hit the manual reboot.

The panel began to short circuit. Karl lost control of the Kong's movements completely and it crashed to the ground.

He covered his face with his arms as the controls began to spark and blow.

It went dark, and there was nothing more that Karl could do.

* * *

The Liger withdrew its fangs. The Iron Kong was subdued; the pilot's duty was over.

Breathing a sigh of relief the Liger took four steps back to get a good enough distance away from the soon to be dead man. Even with all that planning, he was an extraordinary opponent.

The canteen of water clattered around the floor of the cockpit. It was evidently not stowed away properly after its use. Completely ignoring this, the pilot continued to watch the Iron Kong, knowing what was next.

The remaining two Shield Ligers prowled around the fallen Kong. The first of the Ligers used its claw to push the Kong onto its back. They both turned their cannons to the armoured cockpit of the unfortunate Colonel and fired.

Shards of half-melted metal flew off the chest armour as it was blasted. Large melted dents riveted through the dense armour however the Liger's cannons did not penetrate.

It was at this time the Hellcat finally materialised, standing before the Iron Kong. Mounted on its back was a high-powered beam cannon. It pressed the cannon against the Kong's lower chest plate.

It was over.

Or so they thought.

In a miraculous instant the Iron Kong swung back to life, its hand grabbing a hold of the cannon, twisting the metal closed the moment it fired, blasting the end to pieces. The blast tore through the left of the cockpit, ripping the entire back plate of the Iron Kong off. The jarring of machinery rang out as the Iron Kong tore at the head of the Hellcat, intent on crushing it.

The Spark liger rushed to the Hellcat's aid. The spark plug atop the head charging up, current flowing through its fangs, it lunged at the Kong.

This time it was ready.

The powerful arm swung around to meet it, too early to make contact. Too late did the pilot realise that the small laser cannon mounted on the wrist was the Colonel's real intention.

The shot hit the head squarely destroying the spark plug.

Before the pilot had a chance to react, the Iron Kong grabbed the Liger by the throat and crushed it into the sand.

The shoulder cannon aimed and fired at the cockpit of the liger with every intention to kill. However by the miraculous luck of the pilot, the cannon's calibration had been knocked askew. It did not find its mark but rather fired directly into the sand.

The earth shuddered.

Sensing something was wrong both pilots hesitated. Then, without warning, the earth began to sink.

The Spark Liger disappeared underneath the roiling ground as the Iron Kong struggled to free itself.

It was futile.

Grabbing uselessly at the loose sand the heavy Kong sunk into the shifting desert and fell through into a dark abyss.

* * *

-Zoid Data-

This section was created to give readers some idea of the power comparison of each zoid mentioned in the fiction. After all, not everyone has the privilege of having an entire zoid encyclopaedia at one's beck and call.

Iron Kong Mk II (Aka, Iron Kong PK)

Alliance: Imperial

Pilot: Karl Schubaltz

Weight: 209.0t

Speed: 170km/h

Main Weaponry: (Power based on a point evaluation system)

Beam Launcher - 120 (220 when fully modified, and Karl has his modified =D)

10-slot Rocket - 60

Pulse Laser gun - 130 (The wrist gun)

H. Knuckles - 230

Armour defence: 145

Note: While actually searching for the specific type of Iron Kong used by Karl, I took the episode Devil's maze into account. I noticed that Karl's Iron Kong had been a model specifically modified for him. The specific Kong could not actually be accurately identified in the game version due to no such model existing, however, based on the modifications and the beam cannon on the shoulder as well as it's unique thrusters, the only Iron Kong visually close enough to meet those criteria was the PK model. I based all zoid battle simulation estimations upon that model. Although, within the game Karl had his own Iron Kong series, the Iron Kong SS (Schubaltz Series) its main gun is a beam Gatling gun with fire power less powerful than this PK's cannon, therefore unworthy of Karl's almighty piloting power. Also, keep in mind Karl probably also installed extra guns on his Iron Kong since it lacks speed firing armaments.

Spark Liger

Alliance: Republic.

Pilot: Unknown

Weight: 91.0t

Speed: 250km/h

Main Weaponry: (Power based on a point evaluation system)

Shock Gun - 140 (The Spark liger had its Shock Gun removed and passed on to the Shield Liger)

Laser Claw - 180

Potential Diffuse - 25 (This is the zoid freezing mechanism)

Laser Sabre - 190

Armour defence: 70

Note: The overall raw stat on this zoid is far better than Karl's piece of crap, I mean respectable monkey... zoid... However, like Karl said, he doesn't rely on the zoid to do the work for him.

Although the zoid itself is rather powerful in terms of close range combat, its main strength lies in its ability to freeze zoids. In the game, the animation portrays the liger to release its electric currents via air and let it somehow strike the opposing zoid. This would be very much scientifically impossible unless this zoid has the ability to ionise the air and change the opposing zoid into a cathode (anyone who doesn't know what I'm talking about are obviously not yet doing chemistry or haven't been paying enough attention in class). Because of this, I used the Laser Sabre weaponry as a medium for that Diffuse ability.

Shield Liger (Ok I know everyone knows this one, but let's just compare stats)

Alliance: Republic.

Pilot: Unknown

Weight: 92.0t

Speed: 250km/h

Main Weaponry: (Power based on a point evaluation system)

Shock Cannon - 100 (This is why it needs the Spark Liger cannons, its probably then further modified it to 240)

Electron Shield- 150 def

Laser Sabre - 150

Armour defence: 25

Note: This thing is cannon fodder compared to Sparky, but still, it has a reasonable shield.

Hellcat (Also known as Atak kat in the game, not sure if this is a translation error or the original translation)

Alliance: Imperial

Pilot: Unknown

Weight: 24.0t

Speed: 190km/h

Main Weaponry: (Power based on a point evaluation system)

2 Beam cannon - 60 (This armament was removed and replaced with an Hyper cannon 350 damage, this particularly heavy gun would seriously slow this zoid down)

Laser Medium cannon - 30

Optical Camouflage - +50 evasion (This is the invisibility mechanism)

Tackle - 60

Armour defence: 18

Note: It is WEAK! The only thing that makes this zoid useful is its invisibility mechanism (which, by the way, doesn't work well at all in the game). However, the particular Hellcat in question installed a powerful cannon that would probably weigh almost as much as it did. As a result, this thing won't be able to go faster than a leisurely stroll. This is the reason that in this chapter, this zoid did not do very much. It also should be noted that the Hyper cannon is so powerful that it should be used in long range battles. When the Hellcat pilot in this chapter aimed the cannon right at the Iron Kong at close range, he risked extensive damage to his own zoid upon fire.


	2. Fear

Lol didn't think I'd get the next chapter up so early...

I made a deal with myself that I post a chapter a week after the first review. I thought a deadline would be good for motivation... Of course I didn't think I'd get a review on the FIRST DAY OF POSTING! It was a pleasant surprise. Ty for Shubaltz Crazist and randomcat23 for being my first reviewers ever!

I'm glad you like the stats at the bottom. I'll work hard for you! I really will! :33333

If I don't make the deadline remember to flame me with angry emails :3

I would like to thank DuskStarDragon for Beta-ing my work, without her encouragement I'd never have published my fanfiction.

Disclaimer: I do not own Zoids or any of the characters in relation.

* * *

Affinity

Chapter 2: Fear

It took a few seconds for Karl to get his bearings.

With a groan he shifted in his seat and unbuckled himself, and promptly fell sideways, sand trickled off him. His right arm was not functioning the way he wanted, he guessed that he must have strained or fractured it while piloting the Iron Kong manually. He checked for further injuries to himself. His left leg was bleeding but other than that he seemed fine. He breathed a sigh of relief. He dusted his shoulder off while still lying on his side and relocated his hat.

With his right leg he kicked open a compartment with some difficulty and extracted a small emergency supplies kit. This included food, water, emergency equipment(such as rope and flashlight), medical supplies, and a gun.

The other pilot might be alive; he did not want to take any chances.

* * *

After putting together a sling for his right arm, Karl hit the emergency hatch release. No response.

After kicking the door a few times he realised that the only way out was to crawl through the hole ripped by the cannon through the left side of the cockpit, currently located above his head.

Favouring his right arm, he pulled himself out of gash in what was currently his roof, knocking sand and dust around with his movements.

Upon setting himself on the edge of the torn cockpit, Karl discovered his leg was in far worse shape than he imagined. He rolled up his pant leg and held his flashlight to it. A small piece of Shrapnel, most likely from when the cockpit got winged, was embedded deep in his lower leg. He pressed his fingers gently to his skin feeling around the piece of metal. From that small amount of pressure, blood poured out more profusely.

With a start he realised it pierced a vein, and plug it formed was the only thing keeping him from instantly bleeding to death.

Though at this rate that was hardly going to matter.

Still balanced precariously on the edge of cockpit, Karl took out bandages. He first made a padding around the wound, and then wrapped it up tight, tight enough to restrict the bleeding but not tight enough to force the metal shard deeper.

There was very little else he could do.

* * *

Karl cast a light around his surroundings; it appeared to be a spacious cavern of some sort. The pillars that supported the ceiling and the walls bore strange furrow marks like water erosion from major water flow. This was rather unlikely since out here in the desert, they were lucky to get one major rainfall a year.

He cast the torchlight up to the roof of the cavern, trying to catch sight of the opening he fell through. He saw a large hole in the smooth roof, plugged by a large chunk of metal, most likely the piece blown off the back of his Iron Kong.

Now he turned to assess the damage done to his zoid.

It lay on its side, Karl despaired that it was reduced to a hunk of twisted metal. A large hole existed above Karl's head where the Hellcat shot, the machinery inside were beyond help. The armour around that damage was falling away, most were already scattered around the ground, half buried in the pile of sand that fell in with the two zoids.

The second zoid!

Karl slipped ungracefully off his Iron Kong to land less than gently on the slope of sand.

Using his flash light he scanned the debris for any sign of the Liger.

He found its carcass, crushed under the weight of the Iron Kong, half buried in the sand. Its head was directly under the shattered torso.

Karl put away his gun and switched off the flashlight; there was very little chance that the pilot could have survived and under the current situation he didn't really care.

Moving away from his decaying zoid, Karl leaned against a pillar. He already decided that it was pointless moving anywhere. No motion occurred in the stale air, indicating what he already guessed. There was no opening. However he did spot some tunnels, not too far from where he sat, though after weighing up his possibilities he figured that where ever that tunnel lead to it wasn't to fresh air. Since any movement would kill him all the faster, the smartest option would be to just sit there, with his leg elevated and signal for help when he was sure there would be no chance for the assassins to pick it up.

* * *

A gun's safety clicked.

Karl turned around on the spot, startled, and felt a gun nozzle press against his forehead.

"Hands up where I can see them!" demanded a voice.

He complied as the offender searched him. His gun and flashlight was taken off him as well as various other supplies.

A light was shone in his face, blinding him.

"So you're Colonel Schubaltz? You look a lot younger than I thought you would."

"I'll take that as a compliment then" Karl replied in a neutral tone.

"Should you not be a little more scared?"

"Should I be?"

The offending voice made no reply and the gun was withdrawn. The flashlight turned away from his face to scan around the area.

Momentarily blinded by the sudden darkness, Karl blinked his eyes to get rid of the glare.

Finally he got his night vision back to the point that he could see a hazy outline of a person standing before him outlined by the glow of the flashlight.

"We're completely sealed off."Karl said in an infuriatingly calm voice.

The flashlight immediately turned back on him.

"How do you know?"

"The air is stale, and the hole in the roof is blocked."

"But that doesn't mean there is no way out."

Karl shrugged.

"There might be."

He didn't even bother considering this, finding an exit was impossible for him. He'll bleed out if he tried to move.

The figure took a moment to consider this, and then switched off the flashlight.

Karl was grateful for this moment's reprieve.

"You're the pilot of that Liger I take it?" Karl asked.

"Mn." The pilot confirmed.

"What's your name?"

The pilot did not answer.

"Well what am I supposed to call you? Liger pilot?"

"Shut up old man! Before I change my mind about shooting you!" The pilot suddenly snapped.

Karl was rather taken aback... old man...?

A few moments of awkward silence ensued.

Finally the Liger pilot broke it. "So uh, is your iron Kong functional?"

Karl guessed the pilot was thinking about hijacking it. "Does it look like it's functional to you?"

The pilot sighed and sunk against a pillar.

"I don't want to die down here~"

Karl was rather taken aback.

"Hey, come on. You're not dead yet. Chin up." Karl wasn't sure why he was comforting the guy who just tried to kill him.

Nor did that guy in question.

A few more minutes of silence past by, when finally the pilot spoke again.

"...Ren..."

"...Hmm? What was that?"

"You can call me Ren. Though I won't guarantee you that it's my real name."

"*yawn* No I'm just glad it's short and easy to remember."

"... Wait a minute... were you just sleeping?"

"Yes, what's wrong with that?"

"You're sleeping... now? Under the current circumstances? In the presence of an enemy?"

Ren was completely perplexed. How can he be so relaxed?

Karl on the other hand didn't see what the fuss was about, he had nowhere to go, he couldn't move without doing further damage to his leg, Ren had his supplies and if he finished him off in his sleep... well... it's not like he'd be around to care. However he was pretty sure Ren wouldn't try to kill him, not until they see daylight again anyhow. Most people do not like the idea of being buried alive, and left alone in the stifling darkness of the underground was the next best thing.

Which would be quite unfortunate for Ren if help didn't arrive within the next six hours or so.

"Well if you have a better idea, I'd like to hear it."

Ren stood up, "We find a way out of here!"

"Right, that's a wonderful idea, you tell me how it goes." Karl replied in an unusually sarcastic way.

"What? Don't you want to get out?"

"Look! If you haven't noticed, I'm bleeding out from my leg!"

Silence.

The flash light clicked on again and lit up the area around Karl's extended leg. The blood had already stained the calf of the pant leg, leaking through the bandages.

Upon seeing that, Karl re-estimated his life expectancy to four hours.

Ren swore and sat himself down.

Karl sighed and moved to a more comfortable position.

A clatter rang out as Karl's supplies were scattered all over the floor. The torch light clicked on again sieving through the items that might be useful. The light stopped on a small device.

"... You had an emergency distress beacon..."

"A few actually."

"And you didn't use them?"

"No, you think it can be detected through the tonnes of sand above us?"

"But you could've tried."

The truth was, Karl had hoped to use that beacon, but he had wanted to wait half an hour before trying. He feared the assassins would detect his signal first and an hour was when he was due to arrive. He was never tardy so this would have prompted some action to occur.

Ren on the other hand didn't really care who'd find him and immediately switched the beacon on.

* * *

"Who sent you to assassinate me?" Karl asked out of the blue.

"As if I'd tell you." Ren huffed.

"Well at this rate I don't think I'm going to survive, so it's not going to matter if you tell me or not."

"Then it won't matter if I _don't _tell you."

"..."

Of course Karl didn't expect to be told, he had an idea of what this might have been about. He had been participating in some secret undergoing of late, all his dealings had been kept confidential between him and his superiors... or so he thought...

Either way, his attempt to make conversation was his way of keeping his mind off... things.

"So... been an assassin for long?"

If only Karl could see Ren's scathing look...

"For your information I'm a mercenary, not an assassin."

"Ok... been that for long?"

"Oh shut up."

"You're not much for making conversation?"

"Not with you!"

Karl chuckled. "Well either way I'm your only company down here for the next few hours or so, you might as well make the most of it."

"... You're not afraid of dying, are you...?"

Karl had to smile at that, Ren was clearly terrified.

"Think about something else. Got any family?"

"... yeah, one brother..."

"Elder?"

"Yeah..."

"You see him often?"

"Yeah."

"That's nice..." _Thomas..._

"What about you? You have family?"

"Eh?" Karl glanced up. "You mean you don't know?"

"What? Why would I know?"

"Not a very professional assassin here are you..."

"Shut it..."

Karl chuckled and ran his fingers under his hat and through his blond hair.

"Yeah I got a brother too, younger."

In the darkness, Karl could see Ren cast his eyes down.

"Do you think your brother will miss you when you die?" Ren murmured.

"Would you miss yours?" Karl asked sadly. They were straying a bit too far into a sensitive topic.

Karl joked to break the mood, "Well he better remember to water my Lily, I'll be very annoyed with him if he let it wither."

Ren sighed, "Why aren't you scared?"

Karl popped his head back against the sandstone pillar.

Karl leaned back and huffed a sign, "I was prepared to die the day I joined the military. Not suicidal or anything, but that's just the reality soldiers have to deal with."

He was feeling sleepy again. This wasn't good, how much time had passed? He felt around his knee, blood stained his hands. His heart felt heavy.

Karl shook his head to wake himself up.

Ren saw that gesture.

"You're not dying now are you?" He asked in a tight voice.

"No, just tired, you'll know what I mean when you get to my age." Karl joked.

Nobody laughed.

"Say Ren, why would a person who's afraid to die, join a mercenary group?"

"I didn't say I was afraid to die! I just rather not die down here!" Ren snapped impishly.

After a moment of silent contemplation Ren finally answered his question.

"Nothing else..." He muttered. "We could do nothing else to survive, so we became mercenaries, me and my brother."

"So your brother was a mercenary?"

"He still is."

"Is he in your group?"

"He's the leader."

"The Hellcat pilot?"

"Yeah."

Karl shifted slightly on the spot so that he was sitting upright.

"Ren, when you get out of here, do me a favour; get out of the mercenary career."

"Then what do you propose I do?"

"Something else, anything. Tourneys, restaurants, construction, anything. Maybe even a career soldier. A purpose in life makes all the difference."

"... You're really different from what I thought you'd be." Ren murmured, voice softening and pitching.

It hit Karl.

"You're a girl...?"

"... Yeah..."

He had referred to her as a guy for the last few hours... he felt pretty stupid now.

"If you don't mind this old man asking, how old are you?"

She grinned, that comment has become the butt of his jokes.

"I'm eighteen, you better tell me your age too, you can't be that much older than you look."

"I'm twenty-nine."

"... I was wrong, you're younger than you look."

"Hey..."

Karl couldn't tell if that was a joke, but he was getting so tired...

"Well either way, I truly hope you find your way out of here..." He murmured.

Ren jumped up with a start.

"What's wrong? Karl?"

_So tired..._

"I think my time might be just about up." He felt clammy.

"Wait no! Stop! Don't die!" She ran over to his side.

_If only I had a choice..._

"Ren, do me a favour. When you get out of here, please tell my brother that, I'm sorry that I had to leave. And tell him..."

"Oh no no no, you're telling him that yourself! Come on! You're tougher than this!"

Karl sighed and gave a weak smile.

_Somebody, please find her. _

**Crack.**

A resounding echo sounded within the cavern.

An eerie yowl echoed.

The sounds of hydraulics and machinery bounced off the walls.

"Oh my god, what the hell is that?"

She stared off into the tunnel. Karl turned his head slightly to try to spot what she was looking at.

Without warning, she grabbed Karl's left arm and pulled him up.

"Hurry! Move!"

Only mildly aware, he stood. Right leg giving out slightly he faltered.

She half supported him half dragged him behind a Sandstone pillar, just in time.

A giant mechanical claw went down, on the exact spot they had been, crushing the distress beacon.

Tilting back its head it let out a ferocious bloodcurdling yowl.

Karl watched in a horrified fascination.

What manner of zoid was this?

It was too dark to make out the features, going by the red glow of its eyes alone he could see it faintly outlined what appeared to be a tiger, but it resembled only minutely.

Before he could contemplate this any further, the zoid caught sight of the two wrecked zoids.

It screamed out a challenge to the two unmoving zoids, and approached. They did not respond. In rage the dark tiger tore its claws through the Iron Kong, sheering off its arm.

Its fangs bore into the Kong, ripping out its zoid core, shards of scrap metal scattered about the cavern floor.

Karl could only watch on as the demonic zoid devoured the heart of his Iron Kong.


	3. Darkness

I seem to be keeping to schedule for my updates... good for me :3

I would like to thank this week Randomcat23 again for being my first review this week. Sorry for the cliff-hanger, but you know what they say, "Do onto others what others do to you" or something of that effect, I'm not too clear on the exact wording...

I would also like to thank MagCat for the kind review. As for the injuries, I had hoped I described them correctly, I was looking through my physiology text book and everything lol.

I would like to thank again DuskStarDragon for beta-ing my work, huge support you have been.

I really ought to thank Darkrad too, he also beta-ed my work even though he's never watched Zoids in his life.

Disclaimer: I do not own Zoids or any of the characters in relation.

A/N: For anyone interested, I have added a brief index at the end of this chapter which contains data on the specifics of zoids and/or pilots of relevance.

* * *

Affinity

Chapter 3: Darkness

Shards of the destroyed Iron Kong littered the ground, now a decaying grey colour.

Leaning on Ren for support, Karl watched on in mild dismay. Although his Iron Kong was already wrecked, watching it get mutilated was a whole other thing.

The demonic tiger tossed the carcass of the demolished Iron Kong aside and began work on the flattened liger.

Ren tugged on Karl's arm, indicating they should move away from the Zoid, to the side of the cave, they were too exposed out in the open here. She hoped there was another opening other than that tunnel the demonic zoid came out of.

Karl could only follow meekly step by step as Ren half dragged half carried him over to the side wall. As he limped he left bloody footprints in his wake, his life blood was trickling away.

He was dragging at his feet, no longer thinking straight, light headed.

Clack! He stumbled and slipped on a piece of shale. It bounced away, its sound rebounding off the walls.

He cursed himself for his clumsiness.

"Run!" Ren screamed.

Karl forced his feet to move, though still leaning on Ren for support, he was slowing her down.

A blood curdling shriek sounded behind them.

Karl turned his head slightly to see by the glowing red eyes, the tiger sprinting after them, howling like the devil himself, smashing through pillars that were insolent enough to stand in its way.

Karl's breaths were coming to ragged gasps.

"In here!" Ren shouted, and Karl was unceremoniously stuffed into a crack in the wall. Ren squeezed in immediately after and covered her head. Reacting sluggishly, Karl only followed suit after the tiger ploughed into the wall, causing rocks to fall.

The ceiling, unable to take much more punishment, caved in. Sand poured in by the tonnes, burying the remains of the two zoids. Light poured in, bathing the few remaining limestone pillars in a wondrous golden light.

Both of them flinched away, blinded by the sudden brightness that engulfed them. Before either of them could recover, the demonic zoid gave an enraged cry and dug its claws into the solid wall as if it were butter.

Ren gave a startled cry as the claw passed bare centimetres from her face and forced Karl further into the gap.

* * *

Rocks fell fast from the tremors and Karl could barely keep his balance as he stumbled through what now seemed to be a tunnel. Ren persistently nudged him in hopes that he wouldn't just fold up part way.

Finally exhausted they stumbled out of the small tunnel and into a bigger one.

A breeze fluttered by them and fresh air called out invitingly.

"Oh my god..." Ren murmured, "We're saved! It's a way out!"

She proceeded to force the already exhausted Karl back into standing and supported him to the source of this breeze.

Light shone.

They could see the light.

Just a little more.

_Crash_, a yowl rang through from the outside of the tunnel.

They slowly stepped out into the light, squinting against the powerful brightness, they saw for the first time the tiger zoid clearly.

It was nothing like anything either of them had ever seen before. It did indeed resemble a tiger, only it was a lavender purple colour, trimmed with deep blue and dark silver. A menacing looking gun perched, unused on the back of the beast. Its powerful grey metallic claws glistened in the light, as did its fangs. But its eyes were red as blood itself, red like the fury that gripped it. It smashed against the wall over and over again, the wall that bore claw marks, where Karl and Ren had escaped into. Any sand that might have piled over there had been completely blown away.

Karl observed that the roof around that area had thoroughly collapsed, light was pouring through thickly and richly.

He cast his sight around, spotting what he had hoped to see. Sand that had fallen through piled up against the walls, making a steep slope connecting to the surface.

However the problem was the tiger was just beside it.

He wouldn't be able to make it.

Karl collapsed against the wall, Ren in a start, made to catch him.

"Over there, that's your way out." Karl nodded in the direction of the sand slope.

Ren nodded and gripped his hand.

He pulled away. "No... Go, I can't move anymore."

Ren opened her mouth to protest but Karl silenced her with a shake of his head.

This was the first time he saw her clearly.

Short dark hair tussled in a way that made it look messy and boyish and lively blue eyes, now full of desperation and hurt. She was so pale, like she had spent an eternity in the dark.

Karl brought his hand up slowly and placed his palm gently on her cheek.

"You're a good girl." He smiled.

His hand fell, she caught it. He pulled away once more.

Slowly Ren stood up, unable to tear her eyes away from him, tears started to flow down her cheeks.

He nodded.

* * *

The floor rumbled, sand trickled down loose and easy. Ren pressed tightly against the slope to stop herself from slipping down with it. The maddened zoid, only meters from her was taking its rage out against a wall. She was part way up the slope, no where far enough to be out of harm's way.

She glanced back at the still figure.

Was he watching her? Or had he already succumb to his fatigue?

Was he already dead?

As she watched he stirred.

Her heart leapt, he was still alive.

Why was he trying to get up?

He learnt against the wall, arm stretched out, pointing at something.

With a start Ren realised the earth shaking had stopped. She turned her head slowly and saw the head of the beast slide past her.

She was frozen with shock, all she could do was stay quiet and hope it didn't see her.

* * *

Karl leant sagging against the wall, it's no good, she'll be seen.

There was nothing else for it.

Gathering up the last of his strength and composure, he shouted.

"Hey!"

The tiger immediately turned his way. It roared back a challenge.

Karl stood as straight as he could, provoking it towards him.

Rather than enraging it further, it quieted down.

**Kachink**

It stepped towards Karl, slowly.

His heart beat was heavy and hollow against his chest. He felt cold, so cold. His breath came in ragged gasps. Yet drawing strength from his spirit alone, he forced himself to stand up and face the zoid.

It stood before him, towering over.

_So this is it..._

It bent low, until its nose almost touched Karl.

He could see its eyes, its blood red eyes. He won't falter, his green eyes holding steady, in a battle of courage, he won't lose.

From the beast's throat came a hollow rumble, the mimicry of a laugh.

_How brave you are._

Did he just imagine that? He must be delirious.

He didn't have the strength to stand any longer. Karl sunk to one knee, eyes still fixed on the tiger.

**Chik **the hatch of the tiger's cockpit opened.

There, one pilot seat it offered to Karl.

Almost laughing at the irony of it all, Karl sunk into the ground.

The demon tiger offered him the privilege of piloting it. But at this current state, he could barely stay awake. He won't be able to drag himself up let alone into the cockpit.

_Such an amazing zoid_ Karl thought to himself. _Artificial intelligence... how else could it know that I need help?_

_Diablo tiger_

So that was its name? Such a shame...

He would have liked to see through its eyes.

Such a shame...

Suddenly, a hand pulled his arm up and over a shoulder, supporting all his weight and pulling him into the open cockpit of the zoid.

A restraint bar lowered over his head until it pressed against his chest, holding him firmly against the seat. As the cockpit hatch closed, he took one look, out of the eye of the Diablo Tiger, at a young fair face, with blue eyes glistening with determination and hope.

That was the last thing he saw, before all became darkness.

* * *

-Pilot Data-

This section was created for the sole purpose of comparing zoid Pilots, however keep in mind that the details are based on the game Zoid Legacy and within that game pilot's growth are solely dependent on the player. Thus only their speciality shall be observed.

Karl Lichten Schubaltz (aka Schwarz)

Gender: Male

Speciality:

Lvl 2 Tiger type pilot.

Lvl 2 Kong type pilot.

Lvl 1 Geno type pilot. (... right... Like Karl ever sat in a geno before)

Ultra reaction lvl 2 (This adds a HUGE bonus to his zoid's initiative and reaction time, which, I might add, is the highest of all the Chaotic century characters, this means he gets to act first in every battle)

Strategy commander lvl 2

Detect danger Lvl 1 (This was obviously not functioning well this particular day)

Endurance Battle +15% (He gets 15% more evasion)

Conserve Battle lvl 2(This means he can conserve 30% more energy while using physical attacks)

Lvl 2 Fury pilot (Yet again, I am surprised he managed to get a hold of a zoid never crafted for him... and this zoid is... what? A hundred years beyond his time?)

Multi-fire level 1 (Allows Karl to fire more than one gun at once.

Interesting notes: Apart from Karl's odd ability to pilot zoids that he most likely never even met before, it should be noted that he gets absolutely NO BONUS ACCURACY. This is quite interesting since we are made to believe that he's such an awesome shooter. But this is not quite all true considering in his later levels he gains a multi-fire ability and his actual default accuracy stat and compared with every other chaotic century character at the same level, while levelling up using their default growth stat is the third best. He is only outshot by Raven and Kruger. For some reason this stat also applies to his close range combat ability. Karl's default growth however is in his defensive region, he focus more on the endurance of his zoid (HP) and his manoeuvrability. Though, considering this, even though he specifically focuses in this area, he is still just worse than Raven at dodging (Who by the way, focuses on attack). His massive reaction time makes him the best first strike character at least until Van gets to lvl 30. His high physical attack accuracy and coupled with his ability to conserve energy while going close range, it would be only logical to put him in a more... close range based zoid... or a zoid with many powerful guns.

Over all Karl is one of the best zoid pilots of his century (using the game statistic comparison) with only one aspect that makes him pale in comparison to Raven (Even though Raven's reaction time is half that of Karl's) is his ability to multi-fire. You see while Karl can shoot two guns at once, Raven can shoot three, and that makes all the difference, especially when it comes down to comparing a charged particle cannon to a gorilla shoulder cannon.

But otherwise, Karl's stats are even better than Van's (Without the Organoid).

So take a guess what happens when you put Karl and his first strike and multi-fire ability into a Berserk Fury... =D

Or how about alternatively...

-Zoid Data-

This section was created to give readers some idea of the power comparison of each zoid mentioned in the fiction. After all, not everyone has the privilege of having an entire zoid encyclopaedia at one's beck and call.

Diablo Tiger

Alliance: Imperial

Pilot: Karl (Currently)

Weight: 75.0t

Speed: 240km/h

Main Weaponry: (Power based on a point evaluation system)

Automatic repair unit - +50 Hp per turn.

Cyber Cannon - 180

Cyber Claw - 350

Optical Camouflage - +80 evasion (already better than that bloody hellcat)

Cyber Fang - 400

Armour defence: 150

Note: Just to give you an idea of how powerful this zoid is, the Geno Breaker's focused charged particle cannon rates a 300. The only zoid that exists in the chaotic century list that possesses an attack higher than this Diablo Tiger is the Bloody Deathsaurer's (aka Death Meteor) With the Charged particle Cannon – 480 and the Killer – 500.


	4. Fragments

It's the weekend folks, you know what this means! Weekly update!

Thank you to Lazystar for being my first reviewer this week.

And thanking Randomcat23: All shall be revealed ;D

Also, of course he survived! I wouldn't have much of a story if Karl died lol.

Lol yeah sorry folks it's a bit short. To make it up to you I updated it a bit earlier and I got a little present for yah.

Look for the deviant art link on my profile page for the title page picture I've whipped up for this story for a visual on Ren and the Diablo Tiger.

So ahem yeah. On with the show!

* * *

Affinity

Chapter 4: Fragments

**Beep**

_What was that?_

**Beep**

_I feel numb..._

**Beep**

_Who are you? Why can't I see you clearly?_

**Beep**

_A crimson glass separates us._

**Beep**

_Why can I not see you?_

"Who are you?"

"KARL!"

_Wha-?_

Karl's eyes flew open, just in time to see his brother Thomas throw his arms around him in a great bear hug.

"Karl I'm so happy you're alriiiight~!" Thomas cried as he suffocated Karl.

The doors burst open, Van and Fiona rush in, alarmed by the commotion.

Alarm turned into delight when they saw Karl was awake.

"Schubaltz! Glad you made it!" Said Van, laughing.

Fiona ran out to tell everyone the good news, Zeke squeezed in shortly after.

"Eh?" Karl sat up looking dazed. He located the annoying beeping object, it was a life support machine. What the hell was going on here?

Thomas started looking worried.

"Umm Karl? Do you know who I am?"

That immediately snapped Karl out of his stupor, "Thomas, I had to put up with you for twenty-three years, of course I know who you are!"

"Twenty-four actually Karl..." Thomas's brows contracted.

This caused everyone in the room to be suddenly tense.

"Right, I miscounted," Karl replied, still not quite sure what was happening.

The door opened again, Moonbay and Irvine walked in followed closely by Fiona.

"Hey Colonel! How are you feeling?" Moonbay greeted cheerfully.

"Good, thank you." Karl replied.

"Oh no you're not!" Thomas butted in, "There's something wrong with your memory!"

"What? Thomas! Forgetting your age does not mean anything!"

Thomas looked hurt.

"Then can you tell us what happened?" Van asked.

Karl turned his head slightly.

"I ... don't know..." With a start he realised, "I can't remember."

Thomas looked triumphant for a split second then his face fell again.

"Karl, you've been brain damaged?"

"What?"

Everyone looked grim.

Thomas started explaining to Karl.

"You didn't turn up for the arms trade meeting. That was so unlike you, so we got a little worried. Van and I set out to search for you along with a small squadron. We found you three hours later strapped into an unidentified zoid. Unconscious."

"More like that zoid found us actually." Van piped in, "And you weren't just unconscious, you were technically dead. Thomas gave you some of his blood on the spot and gave you the kiss of life."

Thomas coughed slightly to cover his unease, "It's called an emergency blood transfusion Van, and that was CPR"

Everyone sniggered, Karl covered his mouth and coughed, he was feeling uncomfortable now.

Thomas continued, trying his best to ignore this slightly too incestuous joke.

"We rushed you to a medical ward in a nearby town to get you stabilised. However, the doctors had said that if your heart had stopped for more than two minutes, you could be brain damaged, or ... brain dead."

Karl racked his brain for any memory of this event. The term brain damage was equivalent to "retardation" to him. He was quite desperate to prove to himself that no such damage had occurred.

"Ren..."

"What was that?" Thomas asked eagerly.

Karl blinked, what was that indeed. He closed his eyes, images flashed past his eyes. A hazy figure, determined looking eyes, blue eyes. Who are you...?

Ren?

A sharp figure stepped into focus, with fangs and claws, and demonic red eyes.

Karl gasped.

"A tiger zoid!"

Everyone's attention was on him.

"It had red eyes" Karl closed his eyes and tried to recall. "It was purple, I think..." Brows contracting into a frown, the images faded out refusing to obey him.

"Yeah, we found you in that zoid. But the moment we got you out, it ran away."

Karl glanced at Van.

"Did you find a young lady too?"

This took everyone a little by surprise.

Thomas' eyebrows disappeared into his fringe.

"Karl... Don't tell me you got into this mess because you were chasing girls?"

That sounded more like something Thomas would do.

Karl didn't answer, he didn't know. But rather than risk lying, he'd rather think it out rationally. If he was out on duty, and he spotted a lady whom he fancied, would he dodge his duty? The answer was a blatantly obvious no.

Thomas mistook Karl's silence as a yes.

"You dog!" Thomas cried with glee nudging Karl.

Karl raised his hand to block Thomas' Elbow only to notice it was bandaged up, from the wrist to the middle of his upper arm.

A small memory stirred. Everything was dark except a fuzzy pixelated image of a cannon on the front screen pointing towards him. He flicked a switch from automatic controls to manual, and with all his strength, he forced the right side control down, an arm swung into sight and gripped onto the cannon.

Next thing he knew he was reeling from a shock.

He couldn't remember much else.

"What happened?" Karl asked, pointing to his arm.

"Torn muscles, not sure what you did to yourself."

"I used manual on the Iron Kong... what happened to it?"

"Are you crazy? Karl? Manual for Iron Kong?" Thomas exclaimed. "That's like... only a few hundred kilos due to the lever system but still! A few hundred!"

"I didn't think I had much choice..." Karl rubbed his neck. What else happened?

"What happened to my zoid?"

Van shrugged. "It ran away, I told you."

"Not that one! My Iron Kong."

"No idea, we didn't find it."

Karl ran his hand through his hair, dulling noting that his hat was not in its usual spot. But of course, he had been sleeping.

"How long have I been out for?"

"That's usually the first question most people ask." Thomas replied. "But three days today."

_Three days..._

"And I was bleeding to death?"

"From the leg."

"... It was an ambush..."

Fragments of images flashed before his eyes. The fury of battle, the confusion, the desperation, and defeat.

"Assassins... No mercenaries, paid to assassinate me ambushed me."

Everyone was silent.

"I was defeated, my system got crashed. Then I switched to manual... I can't remember the rest..."

"Wait, Karl... assassins?" Thomas could not believe something like this could be happening again.

"You're running for that Brigadier General promotion aren't you?" Irvine finally spoke.

Karl shook his head but was, mildly surprised that Irvine knew such sensitive military information.

"It's true my name was nominated for the promotion. However those of General status are not permitted to undertake field duties. I did not quite feel ready to give up my piloting career."

Everyone grew silent. It would have made so much sense if Karl's progress through the ranks was causing someone discomfort. There was no other reason for it...

So they thought.

Because Karl had a fairly good idea of why this was happening.

* * *

"We'll hide you." Van finally said.

Karl shook his head, "no, I'm not running."

"Are you an idiot?" Thomas grabbed Karl's pyjama collar. "You want to end up like dad?"

Karl shrugged, "He died well."

"Like an idiot!"

"Like a man! Thomas! Grow a spine!"

Thomas' retort stopped in his throat, and in a moment of madness punched Karl in the face and stormed off.

"Talk about brain damage" Van murmured.

Fiona, who had stayed silent through the entire affair, couldn't hold her peace any longer.

"Please, Colonel, Thomas doesn't want to lose you."

Another fragment of a memory stirred...

A deep sadness felt for his brother's pain.

Van nodded his approval "Just, take some time off, disappear off radar for a while. We'll keep things quiet on our end and further investigate this."

"Yeah Colonel! At least till your injuries get better." Moonbay interjected.

Karl rubbed his jaw and thought hard. He couldn't alert them to what was really going on... He'll put them all in danger. There was some merit in looking for the source of this attempt on his life, even if they might not know all the details they could still make some progress. Plus if he returned to base in this state, he'll be forced to take leave anyway as well as the added danger of his survival being publicly known... at least this way he'll have time to heal and Thomas won't fall apart.

"Alright then."

Van nodded, "Right, then you rest up. I'll go ask the doctors about when you can be discharged."

He walked out and everyone else followed suit, disapproving of his hurtful lash at Thomas.

Karl sighed and withdrawn back under the covers.

As he closed his eyes, the hazy figure of the young girl swam before his eyes.

_Who are you?..._

* * *

-Pilot Data-

This section was created for the sole purpose of comparing zoid Pilots, however keep in mind that the details are based on the game Zoid Legacy and within that game pilot's growth are solely dependent on the player. Thus only their speciality shall be observed.

Van Flyheight

Gender: Male

Organoid: Zeke.

Speciality:

Lvl 3 Liger type pilot

Good Grappler +35% (Bonus points to close combat accuracy)

Impudence (This just means he so stubborn that he's harder to get knocked out)

Endurance battler +30 (He gets 30% more evasion)

Strategy Commander lvl 2

Laser Expert +20%

Ultra reaction lvl 2 (Makes van gain an edge in first strike)

Interesting notes: For some odd reason Van's got good laser accuracy bonus... he never struck me as the type to aim... The strategy part got me good too.

Thomas Richard Schubaltz

Gender: Male.

Speciality:

Missile Expert + 10%

Laser Expert + 10%

Particle Gun expert + 25%

Shotgun expert +10%

Endurance shooter + 10% (bonus dodge rate against missiles)

Bad Fighter -15% (Crap at close range)

Conserve fire lvl 2 (saves energy on shots)

Multi-fire lvl 1

Interesting note: Thomas is that good with particle guns? I thought he was only good at getting hit by particle guns!

But yeah, he's on the complete opposite end of the spectrum to Karl. Great aim, terrible at close range (no wonder Karl owned his guns first in Devil's Maze, without them Thomas is bait). However he does not have a multiple firing technique or speed, so no matter how accurate he might be, he ain't nothing compared to Karl. Though admittedly his starting zoid is a lot more powerful than Karl's monkey.

Irvine

Gender: Male

Speciality:

Lvl 2 Wolf type pilot

Shotgun expert + 50%

Conserve fire lvl 2

Conserve Battle lvl 1

Endurance shooter +20%

Weapon destroyer (He aims at and disables armaments)

Lvl 3 Gojulas pilot

Interesting note: Wow Irvine's better at dinos than wolves! He should be called Rex! It serves both purposes.


	5. Chance

Omg exams every day this week x_X...

But I'll still update! I defy you, you inaccurate assessments of an individual's ability!

My next exam is in three hours... and I spent the whole time spiffing up this fanfic *cries*

Well I would like to thank randomcat23 for being the first (and only) reviewer for the last chapter this week. Tyvm! If you wanna find out what's happening I'm afraid it's not this chapter lol...

**The title picture** **I drew for this fanfic is linked on my profile page**. Please take a look for a visual on Ren and the Diablo Tiger.

Anyway on with the show!

Disclaimer: I do not own Zoids or any of the characters in relation.

I would like to thank DuskStarDragon and Darkrad for beta-ing my work.

* * *

Affinity

Chapter 5: Chance

With a clack of the key the door swung open. It had been a long time since Karl returned home.

Situated in the heart of Guygalos, in the more well off area, the Schubaltz two story family manse had been unoccupied for years. Karl left for the officer's academy when he was fifteen, the youngest to have ever been admitted. During his time in training, his father had been killed by a sniper and his mother wasted away. The day Thomas left for University was the last time the house was occupied.

Or he could be wrong since Thomas probably came back during his breaks, it was Karl himself that never came back.

Not that he avoided it, he just didn't have time. He lived in the officer's quarters in his division's military base situated on the edge of Guygalos and never took leave. He'll admit it, he had no life.

Karl stepped past the porch and into the house. A small film of dust coated the floor. He sighed, he would have to call a cleaner, he never even held a mop before, let alone use one.

Leaning on a walking stick to support his left leg, Karl limped over to a window. For some odd reason he felt unusually self conscious...

He lifted open the windows to air out the house and proceeded to move upstairs, slightly hampered by his leg.

There were three bedrooms upstairs, his parent's room Thomas' room and his room. Out of habit he immediately turned to his old room and immediately noticed that his bed and belongings were no longer there, instead it was replaced by Thomas'. Thomas probably took over his room for the larger space the moment he packed his bags and left the house.

Well either way, he'll stay in this room, it felt more familiar.

For the rest of the day, Karl proceeded to get settled down.

* * *

*Knock Knock*

Karl opened the door.

Thomas stood there holding Karl's Black Lily in one arm and carrying a box of paperwork in the other.

"I got your flower like you asked." Thomas said as he strode past Karl still holding the door.

"And your bloody files." He dumped the heavy contents on the dining room table.

"Much obliged." Karl said as he closed the door and hobbled over to restack the paperwork.

"Like what you done with the place." He noted the sparkling clean mantle piece over the fireplace, and the way the floor gleamed, "I didn't know you could clean."

"I hired a cleaner." Karl replied, taking the mystery out of it.

Thomas smiled inwardly, he knew his brother really couldn't do anything remotely domestic, he lived on an army base for the last ten years of his life.

"So how have you been these last three days? Surviving alright?" Thomas asked, sitting himself down on the newly scrubbed lounge.

"Yes fine. Now stop stalling and report the situation."

Thomas wasn't stalling, he really had been a little worried about his brother, but of course, in true Karl fashion, work comes first.

A little miffed, Thomas began. "We contacted the Major General and informed him of your situation. He agreed to grant you off record sick leave. We also arranged for a media blackout on you, so nobody knows you're even missing except possibly the culprit."  
Karl nodded his approval.

"Is there any progress into the investigation?"

"Karl, be realistic. It's barely been a week since investigations started."

He really wasn't expecting anything anyway.

"What about my hat? You find my hat?"

"Nope, the sentries said that you wore it when you left the base that day. I guess you dropped it."

Karl sighed and rubbed his temple. That was a tragedy and a half.

"Another thing Karl" Thomas began, "The mercenaries you spoke of, we have a lead. Apparently a group of zoid pilots arrived at Riv town on that day for repairs in extremely damaged zoids. One of them, a Hellcat I think it was, had a cannon armament that was completely destroyed. Does that sound familiar?"

He nodded, that's right, it was a Hellcat.

"Good job lieutenant, we find those mercenaries, we find the culprit."

And he'll have a major breakthrough in his own case.

"And there you go, being all formal again." Thomas sighed, though secretly glad he was being praised.

Well either way, I'll leave you to mourn your hat. I need to get back to work. Recover well Karl!"

"Good bye." Karl nodded, he appreciated Thomas' company but duty before all else.

The door closed and the house was silent again.

"This is what I hate about breaks" Karl mumbled to himself as he began unstacking the paperwork again.

* * *

After a week of solitary confinement, Karl could take no more. He had been frantically going through his coded documents, looking for any leads to his case. He had long since removed the sling off his right arm, against the doctor's recommendation, finding it hampered him in his work. He knew this had been the reason he was hunted and worked quite desperately, through the papers, hoping for a lead. However without military database resources or access to the codebook he kept locked away he wouldn't be able to get any further. And as much he wanted to get to the bottom of this, he really couldn't stand the suppressing silence of his house anymore. He had to go out and do something that did not involve the purchase of food or a visit to the doctor. Work came first, but even he could be excused for a few hours of rest.

And he knew exactly where he wanted to go.

Fairly recently there had been an ad in the newspaper about a small zoid tournament being held on the outskirts of Guygalos. It had been going for five days. Originally Karl resisted the urge to go, but after getting overworked to beyond even his tolerance, the finals became very appealing indeed.

The tournament arena was two hours by car. Karl left two and a half hours prior. Although he was used to arriving exactly on time with no wasted minutes, he found he really couldn't sit still at home anymore.

So because of this, he arrived early for the tournament, and by some strange coincidence, as he sat down, he was ambushed by the most unlikely person imaginable, or at least the second most unlikely.

"Colonel Schubaltz!" A young man with long brown hair and an eager looking face popped into his vision.

"Empero-!"

"Shhhhh!" Rudolf silenced Karl, glancing around nervously to confirm that none of the other spectators, filing in had heard.

"I'm in disguise! Nobody's meant to know!"

The disguise was a pair of sunglasses... Karl couldn't help but sigh, inwardly. Even he was better disguised by just taking off his hat.

He sat himself in a seat next to Karl.

"Came to observe the abilities of other pilots Colonel?" Rudolf asked cheerfully. "Truth be told, you were the last person I expected to see here."

_I should be the one to say that!_

"Well, I did come to enjoy myself today, but Your Excelen- umm..."

"My codename for today is Richard! Call me that for today!"

"Well then... Richard... did you not come with any guards?"

"Oh, Rosso and Viola are coming too, they're just a little slow."

_More like he ran ahead._

There was a shred of worry plaguing Karl; he was a marked man, there was no way he should be sitting next to the emperor.

"Richard," Karl said getting up, "I mean no offence but it's not a good idea to be sitting near me today, so I'll take my leave."

Rudolf's face fell.

"What? Colonel! Why? I promise I won't annoy you!"

That wasn't the point...

It was then that Rosso and Viola decided to finally catch up, both adopting the same pathetic disguising method.

Upon recognising Karl, both nodded a greeting to him.

"Hey Schubaltz, I suggest you sit down if your leg needs that." Rosso said, eyeing his walking stick.

"Eh? Colonel? What happened to your leg?" Up to this point, Rudolf failed to notice that Karl was hurt at all.

"Nothing to be worried about, but I should really go."

"No no Colonel wait, don't go, what happened?"

"Nothing really, nothing important."

"I order you to tell me!"

"..." An order from the emperor... he can't refuse to answer...

"I had a run in with assassins."

"Wha-?"

"So you can see why I cannot be in the same vicinity as you, I'll be an unnecessary risk."

Rosso's eyebrows contracted.

"You're right, you will be a danger to Rudolf- I mean Richard if you stay."

Karl accepted this confirmation and turned to leave.

"But you know Schubaltz, it's not like anyone can recognise you. You've only ever been photographed with your hat on."

And ain't that the truth? He looks completely different without that hat.

Karl shook his head, "It'll be irresponsible of me to risk putting Richard in any danger."

"But you'll risk putting any other civilian in danger?" Rudolf pipped up.

Goodness, that was irresponsible of him, he made a mental note to not step out of his house unless it was to go back to work.

"Just sit down Schubaltz," Viola sighed as she plopped herself next to Rosso, "we all know it's actually much safer with you around regardless of whether people can actually recognise you or not."

Before anymore could be said, a fanfare blew and the arena gates were opened to admit the combatants. Rudolf took that moment of distraction to kick Karl's walking stick from under him and drag him back into his seat.

There were eight participants, set up in an elimination format. Each combatant was the victor of their respective heat, from either the morning or afternoon session of the four day trial.

The tournament regulation called for ground zoid only, with weight not exceeding one hundred Tonnes, no fire arms allowed. That precaution was in place to protect the spectators in the stand. This was probably why most combatants picked Tigers and Ligers as zoids of choice. They were the best close range combat zoids who existed within the weight limit, the liger edging the tiger out slightly due to its shielding advantage.

However there was one combatant with a Dark Horn, it was a strange choice.

Even though it had powerful close range capabilities, it would never be able to match the speed of the Tigers, nor would it match the manoeuvrability of the Ligers. And on top of all that, its weight should exceed one hundred tonnes... Well no actually, since it removed its guns it should 'just' make the cut off. It would be quite interesting to watch this pilot face off against those other zoids that are more suited for melee. However the Dark Horn did have one major advantage, its infallible armour. Karl should know; he had piloted one four years ago, back in the war against the republic. He picked his winner.

Although the entirety of the tournament was to be enjoyed, Karl subconsciously found himself paying more attention to the Dark Horn. Whether it be that he made a bet with himself that the Dark Horn was going to be the victor or that little bit of variety held his attention, he found himself observing that pilot's battles a lot more closely than the others. Though he did feel a little disappointed that the pilot was by no means outstanding, he was a little better than average. However, using the heavy armour of the Dark Horn, the pilot ran a game of endurance against his lighter armoured foes. No matter how the ligers clawed and the tigers bit, they could not penetrate the thick hide. Each attempt to do so gave the Dark Horn a chance to counter, and so, one by one, all its opponents fell, and he was through to the finals.

Slightly disappointed by such an easy progress his handpicked favourite was having, Karl wondered if it really was really worth coming all this way (And having such a guilt trip about sitting next to the emperor).

The sun was just past the mid-day mark when the semi-finals ended, the winners were a Liger Aero and that Dark Horn. An intermission was called and the spectators were allowed a one hour break to grab something to eat before the finals. Rudolf, already over stimulated from too much zoid exposure, zoomed off to see if he could sneak in and meet the finalists. Rosso and Viola chased after him. Karl was left by himself.

Although he didn't really want to move, he didn't relish at the prospect of sitting there for an hour either. So leg or no leg, he was going to get something to eat. Hopefully that'll roll up his hour nicely.

* * *

In the shade of a nice cafe built into the side of the arena, Karl sat, observing the zoid maintenance. His spirits were slightly elated by good coffee.

He took his time on purpose, there was another twenty minutes to waste, and good coffee can't be rushed. Turning slightly he watched the crowds of people, choosing to eat at fast food stands, then rushing to see the souvenirs. He didn't really feel like he fit in... He sort of forgotten how to have fun.

He turned his attention back to the maintenance area. It was positioned around the side of the arena, so it wouldn't be visible from the main stalls but still visible from the cafe situated between them, and close enough Karl to observe at his leisure. It was either this or watch the crowds of people having fun. He preferred the former.

People rushed back and forth, fixing the zoids that were already eliminated. Karl spotted a few victims of that Dark Horn. The pilots hung around that general area, some arguing heatedly over the price of repairs. There were only six pilots in total Karl counted; the finalists must not be there.

Of course, the zoids that are still to battle are not allowed to leave competition grounds. This rule had been placed there to prevent unauthorised modifications and addition of unregistered weaponry.

Karl gazed on relaxed, reflecting quietly to himself how much more efficient his maintenance crew were. These engineers ran about like headless chickens. Well he exaggerates, but they did seem a little too inefficient in the way they handled their jobs. Though admittedly having the emperor dart around their vicinity would prove to be rather distracting.

One of the maintenance crew got a call from a pilot. This one wasn't standing with the other six... could this be the Dark Horn pilot? He didn't realise that she would be such a young girl...

A girl with black hair...

Short black hair...

Karl almost spilled his coffee in his start. It was her! He was sure of it!

Dropping his payment on the table Karl got up and rushed towards her as fast as he could. Whatever she was doing seemed to require the assistance of one of the maintenance crew and they disappeared back into the competitor's garage. Slightly disappointed, Karl stood there, staring at the garage door, wondering how foolhardy it would be to try to break in there. Of course with Karl, commonsense always prevailed, he wasn't going to try, even if his leg had been fully functional.

But he wanted to see her...

The fanfare blew, signalling the 'everyone should return to their seats' signal. Not much else he could do. Karl limped back towards the arena entrance, already he could see the other spectators filling back in, Rudolf in the lead.

* * *

The gates opened on both ends of the arena admitting the two combatants. The crowds in the stand growing more fanatical with each given moment.

Karl watched intently, prodding his memory for any clues to which zoid the girl piloted. He had taken an immediate interest in the Dark Horn so maybe that was a subconscious sign that he recognised it to be hers... but for some reason, the term liger pilot... sounded fitting.

The Dark Horn and the golden Liger stood three hundred meters apart, waiting for the start signal.

Karl stared intently while Rudolf jumped up and down cheering excitedly.

One blast of fanfare sounded throughout the arena and the Liger immediately kicked into gear.

One twist, two turns and a leap and its claws and fangs were already digging at the Dark horn's armour.

Ineffective.

It leapt out of the way as the Dark Horn tossed its head, the horn coming dangerously close to the main chassis of the Liger.

As it landed the Dark Horn bellowed and charged.

The pilot quickly activated the shield. The Dark Horn ploughed right through it, the shield barely ionising its thick powerful armour. The horn clipped the back leg of the Liger as it attempted to avoid that attack. Karl winced, that minimal damage could very well play the decider for this battle.

It seemed as if Karl's prediction were coming true. That small amount of damage to the Liger's leg threw the balance off thus greatly reducing its speed. It was forced now to play defence.

That was a shame.

It was cornered now, it won't win.

Or so he thought.

Before the Dark Horn even made a move, the Liger leapt towards it. It was a suicidal move to attack head on like that.

But he had underestimated the pilot.

The liger had landed on the back of the Dark Horn without it so much as moving. By the time the Dark Horn reacted, it was too late and the Liger was too firmly attached.

Without even realising why, Karl glanced upwards to see that the sunlight was in direct line from the view of the Dark Horn. The pilot had used the sunlight to blind her opponent as she struck. She was the Liger pilot he was sure of it now!

The Liger tore ferociously at the joint of the Dark Horn's front leg. The Dark Horn tossed and bucked (to the best of its clumsy ability) just as ferociously hoping to unseat its unwanted passenger.

The combined weight of the zoids, along with desperate motion of the bucking behemoth took its toll on the weakened joint. It snapped, tipping the Dark Horn forward, sending the Liger flying off, landing not-so-gracefully on the arena sand.

The match was over; the Liger roared its victory to the crowds. The crowd responded with all their might.

Rudolf was on his seat cheering with the rest of them.

Karl just sat there, processing what he just saw. Such a tactic...

* * *

Before most of the crowd started leaving, Karl already exited the stands, though admittedly, Rudolf had been the first to leave. He was hell bent on meeting the winner, but so was Karl.  
Walking towards the competitor's garage, from the inside of the arena this time, it wasn't long till he heard Rudolf's voice carry through the corridor.

"Would you join me for dinner? You can tell me all about your adventures! I would so love to hear them!"

Karl turned the corner.

"It would be a great honour Your Excellency, but I really must protest..."

With a kindly smile on her face, her blue eyes speaking honestly she stood facing the eager young emperor.

"Ren...?"

She looked up with a start, recognising the voice.

"Karl..." She took a step backwards, surprise and shock on her face, mixed with... was it a hint of fear?

"It is you..." A gentle smile touched Karl's face.

_How could I have ever forgotten you?_

* * *

A/N - Trust Karl to be able to get overworked on a holiday.

-Zoid Data-

This section was created to give readers some idea of the power comparison of each zoid mentioned in the fiction. After all, not everyone has the privilege of having an entire zoid encyclopaedia at one's beck and call.

Dark Horn

Alliance: Imperial

Pilot: Unknown competitor

Weight: 115.0t (With guns, 96.0t without, estimations done on the Red Horn models)

Speed: 130km/h

Main Weaponry: (Power based on a point evaluation system)

3-slot linear cannon- 220 (This weapon was removed in this chapter)

Missile pod - 100 (This weapon was removed in this chapter)

Beam Gatling - 90 (This weapon was removed in this chapter)

Crush Horn - 200

Armour defence - 70

Note: Notice how 75% of this zoid is guns? That's why removing them would cause this zoid to lose weight. Otherwise this is a pretty standard zoid. Not too slow, not too weak, don't know why Karl even bothered changing to that darned monkey.

Zaber Fang (old)

Alliance: Imperial

Pilot: Unknown Competitor

Weight: 78.0t

Speed: 200km/h

Main Weaponry: (Power based on a point evaluation system)

Double barrel Beam Cannon - 120 (removed)

Triple barrel shock cannon - 80 (removed)

20mm beam gun -60 (removed)

Laser Medium gun -45 (removed)

Killer Sabre - 130

Armour defence- 20

Note: This thing's strongest weapons are its teeth. It was made for close range. But still, it is weak!

Zaber Fang (new)

Alliance: Imperial

Pilot: Unknown Competitor

Weight: 78.0t

Speed: 240km/h

Main Weaponry: (Power based on a point evaluation system)

Double barrel Beam Cannon - 120 (removed)

Triple barrel shock cannon - 120 (removed)

20mm beam gun -120 (removed)

Laser Medium gun -45 (removed)

Killer Sabre - 140

Armour defence – 30

Note: Not THAT much better...

Liger Aero

Alliance: Republic

Pilot: Ren

Weight: 94.0t

Speed: 280km/h

Main Weaponry: (Power based on a point evaluation system)

Shock gun - 170 (removed)

Electron Shield - 150 def

Laser Sabre - 200

Armour defence- 45

Note: This guy is obviously made for close range. Admittedly it's not the most powerful, hell it's downright weak in terms of variety of attacks, but what it does have, gets the job done. (It's stronger than Karl's monkey I recon, he should convert)


	6. Different

Omg I'm a few hours late this week! Damn my wandering concentration span!

I spent a hell of a long time on this chapter, longer than it should have taken. I confess I have a weakness in the social scene, but that is to be expected of a geeky gamer girl who spends on average twenty hours a day locked in her dorm room. I kept editing, and re-editing while consulting various online material documenting human social interactions and protocols until finally I have a version that I am reasonably satisfied with. I would like feedback about how well my grasp of this concept is and advice to help me further improve on this field of study.

Thank you to randomcat23 for being yet again the first reviewer. I'm so relieved to hear Rudolf was in character. I fear the OoC hammer more than I fear death itself.

To tickleback, ty for reviewing. Lol I do love a good deceiving. Plot twists have always got me ticking and I hope to attempt to apply everything I've learnt to my story. Look forward to more profound twists in the future ;)

**The title picture** **I drew for this fanfic is linked on my profile page**. Please take a look for a visual on Ren and the Diablo Tiger.

Disclaimer: I do not own Zoids or any of the characters in relation.

I would like to thank DuskStarDragon and Darkrad for Beta-ing my work.

* * *

Affinity

Chapter 6: Different

"Ren..." Karl couldn't believe his eyes.

Neither could Ren, she looked torn between wanting to approach and to run away.

"Do you know each other?" Rudolf enquired happily, "great! You can both have dinner at my palace and tell be me all about how you two met!"

He was being quite tactless...

Viola caught him there.

"Rudolf, I think they want some time."

"Oh ok, I got lots."

"I mean alone..."

"Oh... Oooooooh!" The meaning finally dawned on the young emperor.

With a sincere smile he waved to Karl and left through the garage exit. Rosso and Viola followed closely nodding their farewell to Karl and secretly wishing him luck. It was widely known that he had a bit of a flat love life.

Though such a lascivious thought was inconceivable to Karl.

A few moments of silence passed between them, neither knowing what to say. The last time they parted... Karl couldn't remember all that well. But he knew she saved his life.

"I have to thank you for before." Karl began, already getting into the formal side of things.

"What for? ..." Ren muttered, unable to meet his eyes.

"You saved my life. For that I owe you."

He conveniently forgotten that she was the reason his life had been in danger in the first place.

"..." She didn't forget. She continued to gaze at her brilliant yellow Liger, pretending to find the rear suspension fascinating.

"What's wrong?"

With a start, Ren realised Karl moved close to her. Too close for comfort.

She took a step back, in a moment of distraction she was forced to meet his eyes.

No accusation lurked there, no anger, completely honest and genuine.

And she had been the one who almost killed him.

Thus it was most surprising when Karl's eyes were the ones to drop. He took a step back to clear his throat, realizing he was too close for politeness sake.

"Didn't think you'd make it..." Ren whispered almost inaudibly.

Karl silently agreed, he didn't either.

"Well I have the luck of the devil."

"Well I'm glad... you lived..." Ren huffed, slightly embarrassed.

Karl smiled "And I'm glad I met you again."

_Wait... what..._

"I mean, I have to thank you..."

Karl mentally shook himself, feeling awkward. What had gripped him for the last few days, this strange ... longing? Why did he have this feeling? And why had he not noticed this and disciplined it already? This was definitely not on.

"May I buy you dinner?" Karl offered, then immediately realised that it could be taken the wrong way on so many levels. "I mean as a thank you..."

Ren couldn't help it anymore, she burst out laughing.

"Oh I'm so sorry," Ren said to the indignant Karl, "it's just, it's just... I've just been invited out to dinner by both you AND the emperor! My goodness I'm rubbing shoulders with the elite."

"The emperor... well I know when I'm beaten." Karl joked.

The mood immediately lightened between them. Karl had forgotten the last time he last joked... before his promotion surely... has it really been that long? It didn't matter, he could lighten up a bit for at least today.

* * *

Karl and Ren found themselves sitting and chatting at the arena's cafe. Upon Ren's insistence that they not go anywhere too far, Karl chose that spot, remembering that they had good coffee. Ren had relaxed a lot more when she realised that he genuinely was happy to see her.

While they chatted, she soon discovered that Karl had, what the doctors describe as "shock induced short term memory loss" but was well on his way to recovery. Karl, in turn, found out the origin of that zoid that Ren had piloted. As it turned out, it was rented out to her by a private zoids dealer. He was coming up to retrieve that zoid later that day and Ren had arranged to meet him out at the stadium garage. This was the main reason for refusing the Emperor's offer earlier.

Then he asked her of her future plans.

She wasn't so sure of it herself.

"I was planning on living off the prize money from this tournament for a while... and possibly find a quiet town with a low rent and settle down there for a ... job... like you recommended..."

That was a decent idea Karl decided... but for some reason... he didn't feel comfortable with that...

"What's wrong with staying in Guygalos?" Karl asked, unsure of why he didn't just let it be.

"There are plenty of jobs here."

"But the rent! Have you ever tried to rent a place out here?"

"Well... why not live at my house?" Oh shit... Karl said something he now sourly regretted, he fixed it quickly before any misunderstanding were made.

"I mean, very soon I'll be well enough to return to my base, and my house would be empty. You are very welcome to stay there."

Ren blinked stupidly. "Your house...?"

"Yeah... you don't have to pay me anything! Just stay there and kind of... take care of it."

"... Why are you being so nice to me?"

"You saved my life, I think lodging would be a comparatively small repayment."

That's right... he had short term memory loss...

"You don't even remember how we met do you...?"

"Uh..." The only image he could call up from his mind was his last glimpse of her from the seat of the zoid.

"Sorry... I can't..."

Figures...

Ren shook her head, "then I can't accept. I'm afraid you don't know what kind of decision you're making... but you probably won't think of me the same way when you do remember."

Karl couldn't agree. "I highly doubt that, my instincts have never steered me wrong, and I know you're a good person. I know I owe you a lot. I feel only gratitude to you, and feelings don't lie."

_It's not the only thing I'm feeling..._

Karl pushed that thought to the back of his mind.

"Oh right! You're eighteen!" Karl said in a start, suddenly remembering. Really, what the hell was he thinking? He needs to keep his morality in check.

"What does that have to do with anything...?" Ren asked, unable to see Karl's train of thought.

"I just thought you must feel uncomfortable living in the house of an older man..." Now _**that**_ made him feel awkward...

"Just so you know, you don't have to worry, I'll only be living in there for another week or so till I'm recovered. If it really makes you uncomfortable I can move out for the remainder of my break."

"What? Oh no no no! Don't! It's not you that's the problem! Not at all! In fact I prefer it if you stayed too..." She trailed off.

Awkward silence ensued.

It was quite different talking to each other while being able to see each other's face.

The zoid dealer soon arrived to collect his newly deemed champion Liger. Karl had suspected for a while that the man was deep in shady deals to have obtained a classified new model liger. He made an effort to get a business card off him and made a note to investigate later.

Little did the dealer suspect his end was neigh.

* * *

Karl unlocked his front door and held it open, in a gentlemanly fashion to admit his guest in. His house was not messy, it was not fancy, however it did have one major flaw...

"Sorry, it's not very homey." Karl said, referring to the fact that the house was empty of anything to mark it as a home. No photos line the mantle place, no mess, no appliances. Just a few pieces of furniture that had no one had ever bothered moving.

"You're right... you must be the neatest male I've ever met..." Ren replied, slightly unnerved by the sheer bareness of the house.

"Well I haven't been living here... well in fact, nobody's been living here for the past few years."

Karl's eyes followed Ren around, she looked a little forlorn at the emptiness of the house.

She glanced at a small patch on the wall, something the cleaner failed to clean properly, and noted that a photo frame once hung there.

"That used to be where my parent's pictures stood." Karl muttered as he walked over.

"Did you take all the pictures with you?" Ren asked.

Karl shook his head. "No Thomas took them, I don't linger in the past."

"That's no good, you should always remember your parents."

"I do, I carry only one memorabilia from both. My Lily was from my mum, given to me when I left for the military." Karl glanced towards the window sill towards the back of the room, that lily was from his mother's flowerbox, now grown to complete disarray. "And from my dad I received his hat from his officer's uniform of the old days, before they changed it. Though..."

He lost it...

It wasn't so much the memories associated with that hat, he was not at all a sentimental man, but he felt a lingering attachment to that item of headwear.

He rubbed his head and sadly noted that he did not have anything there.

He felt a tapping on his shoulder and turned around, and out of the blue, a soft dusty object landed on his head.

"My hat...?" Karl adjusted it on his head. Ren stood before him smiling.

"I knew picking it up was a good idea."

Karl was a little astonished wondering where she had kept it... it wasn't like she carried a bag...

* * *

Taking Ren upstairs, Karl showed her the room that was to be hers. They passed the bedroom closest to the stairs and she automatically turned for that one, but Karl ushered her further inside down the hallway. That room she had turned to was his bedroom, his documents were all over the bed from "bed time reading" the previous night. It wasn't in a state fit to be looked at, so she was certainly not setting foot in there.

Karl opened the door to the master bedroom at the end of the hall.

Ren peered inside.

It was large, almost extravagant. A large four poster double bed occupied less than half the space in the room. At the far right wall there was a balcony with blinds and doors pulled open to admit the cool night breeze. The room had the air of being just cleaned, much like the rest of the house, except unlike the other rooms, in this room Karl suddenly fell oppressively silent.

Though he was always very silent anyway...

Noticing her apparent discomfort at his presence, Karl quickly cleared his throat.

"I'm sure you're very tired so I'll leave you to rest." He quickly retreated to his room and shut the door behind him.

Yes, he decided, he hated holidays. And he dove onto his bed sending some paper scattering. He'll read them tomorrow. Tonight he was tired.

* * *

Ren, woken by the light from the sun, pouring through the un-curtained balcony window, opened her eyes to find that the sun was already high in the sky. She couldn't find it in herself to get up. The bed was so comfy~!

She buried her face in the fluffy pillow, it was a wonder why Karl didn't want this room for himself...

She had peeked into the partly opened door of his room when he was asleep, it was small, cramped, with one small study desk and one single bed... and surprisingly papers all over the floor. It was almost like he enjoyed the Spartan life.

Thinking back to when he had been sitting in the oppressive darkness, life blood trickling away with every breath he took. He was so strong...

Maybe that's how he lived, no comforts just brutal practicality. So when the time comes, comfort would be the last thing on his mind.

After a few minutes of wallowing, she finally found the will to get up. Dragging herself sluggishly out of the folds of blanket Ren finally pulled herself together long enough to get dressed.

Freshening herself up in the bathroom, Ren stowed away the toothbrush into the small carry packs around her waist. They were made to look like part of the back of the decorative waist cloth and one of the reason Karl's sharp eyes had not noticed. Though there was another reason for this, she wore republican clothes, he probably wasn't too used to the details. Pulling the cotton fabric around her neck she adjusted her collarless shirt in the mirror. She had changed out of her piloting clothes, donning a more casual feminine attire of a tan cotton over-shirt and light grey undershirt with linen trousers. On the whole it wasn't all that much more feminine. She was too used to living with her brother and his men as the only girl in the group. They were hardened fighting men, those who lived a hard life and were brutish in manner and in mind. She was sure the only reason she was safe was because of her brother...

Brother...

Ren paused in the middle of washing her face, letting the water trickle through her fingers. She had never returned to him. Was he worried? He left when she fell through the sand, he could not stay. How could he? When he just ambushed one of the most influential men in the country, how would he even begin to save his sister? Under tonnes of sand, not knowing if she was even alive, no time to waste. It was the only choice, Ren acknowledged it.

But she did not like it.

After wiping her face with a towel she took from her pouch, she stepped out and headed towards the stairs. Upon passing by Karl's bedroom door she couldn't help but risk another peek. The first thing she noticed was all the papers around his room were no longer there.

She pushed the door open a little further noting his bed was empty and already neatly made. He had woken up.

Rather than be deterred by this fact Ren moved further in, daring to glance around the room. It was empty of anything but a bag and some papers. Just as she thought, he didn't have any useless clutter.

Efficiency seemed to be this man...

This kind of made him sound like a machine.

Creeping downstairs now, Ren kept a wary eye out for the young Colonel.

She didn't want him to catch her snooping around his room.

She didn't need to. When she came downstairs he was sitting in what looked to be the dining room, sorting out small piles of papers, writing a few words in a small notebook in front of him, completely oblivious that she was standing at the foot of the stairs.

She snuck into that room, to peer over her shoulder.

He sensed her and snapped his book shut.

"Morning" Ren murmured trying her best to look innocent.

"It's past five in the afternoon actually" Karl said, turning in his chair. "You've slept over sixteen hours."

"Don't you sleep in?"

"Not that long."

The truth is he never slept in, he was always up as punctual as ever at seven am. Can't let the body grow lazy, even if this was his holiday.

Ren guessed this without him even having to say, even as she watched him now, he was all collared shirt and stiff shoulders. There was no way this guy would sleep in.

Ren glanced over at the papers scattered about the table, they all bared the imperial crest signifying official documents.

Karl noticed her interest, "No use trying to read them, they're all coded."

Shrugging Ren took a step back, suspecting she was imposing on something Top secret.

Tucking away her curiosity Ren promptly changed the subject. "Got something to eat? I'm starving."

"Of course, I was waiting for you to wake up." Karl stood up, placing his weight awkwardly on his leg. He took a few faltering steps forward and was forced to lean on the table edge for support. He sighed, and turned to take his walking stick. He had hoped to fully recover by the time Ren woke up, for some reason he felt twice as awkward with that walking aid in her presence.

"Where do you wish to dine?" Karl asked in an attempt to divert her attention away from his limp.

Ren hesitated, he had already treated her the day before, it didn't seem right to continue to be a strain on his wallet. She could lend him a bit of her domestic skill he sourly needs.

"I can cook... but don't tell me... you don't have any food in this house either..."

"Well I don't have a fridge. Don't have any cooking utensils either... hmm... that might be a problem for you..."

"It's fine..." Ren didn't feel like going out. But there was no way to cook. "Do you feel hungry Karl?"

He shook his head, although he missed both breakfast and lunch he was fairly used to skipping meals, as overloading of paperwork often forced him to do.

"Yeah me neither."

Karl frowned, didn't she just say she was starving?

Ren slumped into the chair next to him, curious eyes staring pointedly.

Karl averted his eyes. Why he did he could not fathom. He sat down and froze awkwardly in place unable to continue working and ignore the presence of a guest, however at the same time, he couldn't bring himself to meet those young eyes.

"Hey Karl..." Ren ventured.

Karl gave a sidelong glance in acknowledgement.

"You remember my name."

He nodded.

"Remember how we met?"

He shook his head.

Ren looked deeply troubled by that.

Karl had been mildly curious as to how they had met each other in the first place, but he couldn't bring himself to ask. He had a worm of suspicion as to why they ended up trapped together, but he dared not voice it.

Ren could not bring herself to admit it either and she changed the topic rather quickly.

"Tell me more about yourself Karl!"

The sudden transition from topic was far from subtle. Smiling slightly he humoured her, "there really isn't much to tell."

"Tell me anyway."

He considered this question slowly.

"Well... I grew up in this house, with a mother, a father and a brother. Moved out to join the army when I was fifteen... never left."

Ren shook her head. "That's not all there is to that story. What about war between the Republic and the Empire? I know you fought then. What about your battle against the Deathsaurer? I want to hear all about that."

Karl just shook his head. He did not feel proud of his participation in that war, and he did not feel he played a big enough role in the defeat of the Deathsaurer to brag about it. He misjudged his own efforts quite a bit but he was too humble to see that.

"I did what duty decreed, that is all. I sought neither fame nor glory."

Ren smiled at his words. "You did more than many men could hope to claim." She felt a pang of guilt and squirmed a little awkwardly in her seat.

"What about you?" Karl asked suddenly and with honest interest.

"Just me and my brother, born in Helix, nothing more to add to that."

"Your history sounds blander than mine."

"You've lived longer than me."

Those words stabbed Karl where it hurts. He had become subconsciously age conscious for the past few days and cursed himself for being so superficial.

Ren buried her face in her arms as she slumped against the table. The memory of her brother brought up confused emotions. She battled with herself between understanding the decision he had to have made, he didn't have a choice, and a slight pang of self-pity for being cast aside.

She couldn't help but feel betrayed.

Karl, sensing her change in mood put a solid hand on her shoulder. He wasn't sure what kind of comfort he was trying to give to her, but he startled her. She swivelled around to met his eyes.

In that instance their faces drew too close, and Karl could feel her breath upon his lips. His lips brushed her's gently.

They froze there, unaware of how much time had passed.

Karl suddenly broke away, blood rushing to his face.

Still unable to look at her he stood up "Goodnight Ren, I'll see you tomorrow."

Ren's face was down turned, her silence pierced Karl almost as strongly as his own morality.

As Karl made to leave, Ren grabbed his sleeve.

"My name is Serenity." And she rose to meet his lips with her response.

* * *

A/N: I'm sure many of you are going "But wait... she's eighteen!" I certainly know all my beta readers raised eyebrows at that. The thing is, I wanted to see how Karl would act if he got into a situation that was borderline immoral. Of course she's of *ahem* legal age in my country but to a many people this age difference might still be a really big moral issue. Of course I might be just blowing things out of proportion and nobody really cares about huge age gaps... or even outright love it like I do.


	7. Diablo

I'm posting the fic a little early this week in apology for being a little late last week.

Thank you to Randomcat23 for being the first reviewer this week yet again. 3 in a row isn't it? A new record lol. Thank you for your insight on my last chapter. I was always lead to believe that it was the norm for spontaneous kisses from romance novels I've studied. Love your advice though, it's what I need to learn!

To animeazngal: Has it become exciting already? Well I'm gonna try my best to make it more exciting ;D I've just completed my storyboard and know exactly where this story is going. If I pull it off right the most exciting parts are still to come!

To Tickleback: Yay for huge age-gaps! I knew I couldn't be the only one who loves them. And lol at "Karl's anal-ness" I was actually following a character guide created by the Colonel Karl Schubaltz Fans United Fanclub a few years back, we did one for the Major and the Colonel versions of Karl. On one of the Colonel pages were printed in bold letters **WOULD NEVER OVERSLEEP. **In fact the entire sheet was much dictating his spiralling loss of the spunky attitude he had when he was younger. It's been so long since I watched Zoids I had to assume that we knew what we were talking about. Lol I suppose he really does sound a bit like the Terminator. I'll keep your suggestion in mind and try to tone down the "anal-ness" for future chapters. 3

To Darkened-Storm: Aussie Aussie Aussie! Oi Oi Oi! It's awesome to see another Aussie who loves Karl! I'm so glad you like my fic! I'm doubly glad you're a stickler for Karl-in-characterness. I am one too. I hope if you ever find Karl OoC you'd shout your objections aloud.

To Levells: Haha you wouldn't believe I was ADHD by looking at my fic would you? And you _don't_ read Karl fics often? Omg! That's such a huge compliment then! When a non-Karl fan would read a Karl fic! D=

ZOMG! Suddenly Reviewers! Everywhere! *pops the champagne*

I am so happy (T-T)

**The title picture** **I drew for this fanfic is linked on my profile page**. Please take a look for a visual on Ren and the Diablo Tiger.

Disclaimer: I do not own Zoids or any of the characters in relation.

Thanks to DuskStarDragon and Darkrad for Beta-ing my work.

* * *

Affinity

Chapter 7: Diablo

The sun had barely risen above the rooftops in the city of Guygalos when Serenity awoke. She had slept early the previous night, causing her to be refreshed long before her usual time of wakening. Lying in bed, she played back the previous night's events.

Her face flushed as she remembered his face, so close to her's...

With a groan she dragged herself out of the covers, she couldn't lie there anymore. She was too hungry.

* * *

Walking out to the bathroom with toothbrush in hand, Serenity was met with a closed door. Looking up she noticed steam leaking through the frame. It took a few seconds for her to register the implications. But when she finally put two and two together, the door swung open.

Out emerged Karl, shirtless, steam rising out of his skin. He was wearing a pair of grey trousers and was drying his hair with a white towel. He didn't notice Serenity...

But she noticed him...

He was built... and she was staring blatantly.

Finally, feeling her eyes bore into him, he turned. An awkward moment passed.

Serenity immediately looked away, sensing Karl's discomfort. Still, she couldn't resist sneaking in another peak.

Karl tried to shake off his embarrassment, "you're up early."

Serenity nodded, eyes straying to his chest.

"You know you're making me very uncomfortable..."

She immediately snapped out of her mesmerisation, and replied in a very self righteous way, "Well you're the one advertising!"

Karl was rather taken aback. Without another word he disappeared into his room and reappeared buttoning up his shirt.

Spoil sport. Serenity regretted her choice of words.

* * *

It came to Serenity's attention as they walked down the stairs, that Karl no longer used his walking stick for support. He had no gaiting limp, his form was perfect.

It almost seemed like he was never hurt at all.

However, his movements were so precise that she could tell it was all forced. That man could discipline his body to move so normally it was abnormal...

"Your leg?"

"Hmm?" Karl turned his head to glance at Serenity. He did not wear any distinguishable expression on his face.

"Is it healed? It doesn't hurt anymore does it?"

He paused, then admitted "It hurts, but I'll live."

Serenity cocked an eyebrow, "how badly?"

"Not very."

She nudged him gently in the leg and watched his face contort.

"You're such a liar..."

Karl stumbled to the bottom of the stairs and regained his composure.

"I wasn't lying; I was fine till you kicked me."

Serenity rolled her eyes and smiled, "riiight..."

She reached the bottom of the stairs where Karl stood waiting. She paused at the bottom step, with an almost suspicious gleam in her eye and a slightly guilty smile on her lips. Before Karl could move she closed the gap between them.

Her lips brushed against his.

He turned his head away before any more of such an action could occur.

With a sigh Serenity backed away, a little disappointed by Karl's response. He was the one who started this right?

"I didn't think you were the kind to kiss and run..." Serenity muttered in a mocking tone.

Karl kept his face turned, he could not bring himself to look her in the eyes.

"Were you just leading me on?"

He almost choked, and faced her with an expression of disbelief on his face. Him? A player?

Serenity noticed she had missed the mark and suppressed the edge in her voice, "well what is it then?"

Karl paused, carefully gauging up his answer. He did not want to hurt her, but nor could he let this situation go on.

"Ren..." Karl finally spoke, "you're a beautiful young lady with a good heart... you can have anyone else in the world-"

"But not you?"

"Be realistic, I'm eleven years older than you. That is an incredibly large age gap. As much as I hate to admit it I'm too old for you."

Serenity slowly digested this. She already knew there was a huge disparity in their age. She knew but she didn't care. It really shouldn't matter. She was eighteen, old enough to know what she wanted.

It really didn't matter if he was more than ten years older than her.

"So long as I don't mind it's alright...right?"

But Karl minded, he minded a lot. It was completely immoral and irresponsible, not to mention a million other things Karl couldn't yet think of.

"Eleven years... I was in the army before you even thought about going to school. It's not an ignorable difference."

"If you like me it doesn't matter!"

"But it does, I'll be old before you even become mature ... wait no ... I said that the wrong way!" Karl quickly corrected himself as Serenity immediately took offence.

"I'm eighteen! I'm an adult!" She shouted angrily at him.

"Yes but-"

"And I am legally an adult!"

"However-"

"I like you! It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, right?"

Karl was speechless, she just plain told him she liked him... His less disciplined part of him (a very small part) wondered what could be the harm of such a venture. But his stopped himself right there, she was young, she was too rash, she probably didn't know what she was talking herself into.

He shook his head slowly. "Serenity... it won't work, nobody will approve and I- ... I can't.."

"Nobody needs to know."

"Ren! You're eighteen, all I ask is think it over before you throw your life away."

"What about you Karl? You'll miss your boat soon."

This took Karl by surprise, up till now he had been focused on his career, he had not considered this. He got so caught up in his job, did not take any time to find anyone... He realised at some point he'd probably want a family; a wife to love and children to carry on the family name.

Now he has a chance for such a future... He couldn't take it.

It was immoral.

He turned around and headed for the door, there was nothing more to be said. They should get breakfast and use that time to cool their heads.

As Karl reached for the handle, it gave way under his fingers.

The door sprung open, he sidestepped it quickly. Any slower and he'd be ending up back in intensive care.

Thomas had burst in, looking stressed, he immediately strode into the hallway, doubling back when he realised Karl was right next to him.

He launched at his brother, "Karl! We have a situation! You have to return to base immediately!"

Upon catching sight of Serenity he paused, "... who is that...?"

Karl attempted to dodged the question, "What's the situation?"

"Karl! How old is she?"

"It's not what you think!"

"You can go to jail for this..."

"She's eighteen and what you're implying offends me!"

Thomas looked ludicrously at Karl, challenging him to explain.

"Look!" Karl growled frustrated and embarrassed, "Her name is Ren, she's the one that saved my life back then. And now she's the new tenant of our house!"

Thomas' eyebrows shot up into his fringe. The first thing Karl remembered of his ordeal was her... but if this is the case... that'd mean...

"Miss!" Thomas snapped back into formality, "We will require you to come with us."

Karl gave a bit of a start and snapped at him, "She doesn't! She has nothing to do with this!"

This offended both parties.

He had been worried that Thomas had drawn the connection between her and the mercenary group. He did not take time to consider his words before he threw them in his brother's face. It did not occur to him that Thomas had been completely off on another tangent or that Serenity would take offence to being excluded in such a fashion.

"Karl! What's with you?" Thomas exclaimed angrily, "You know I wouldn't drag a civilian into this unless I had to! This is important and if she was there with you she is required!"

"What for?" Karl bristled.

"That Tiger Zoid! We need to know everything we can! Since your memory is not reliable we'll need her help to fill in the gaps."

A hint of shock passed through Karl. That Zoid...

That demonic Zoid...

"Diablo Tiger?"

Karl turned his head in a start., How did Ren know?

"It was displayed on its console screen," She said sheepishly, a hint of fear in her voice. "I read it when I dumped you in the cockpit."`

That did it for Thomas.

"Right! No time to waste! Get into the car and tell me more about this. Karl, you'll be briefed on the situation when we arrive! Go!" And he ushered them out to the car, breakfast forgotten.

* * *

Thomas had driven them to the Guygalos Imperial army airstrip where two specially modified carrier Redlers stood waiting for them. After making last minute arrangements for an unexpected third passenger a third Redler was found along with a pilot.

Karl sat himself into the passenger seat of one of the Redlers, his mind was racing a mile a minute. That Zoid, what was happening? Why was Ren scared? He couldn't remember...

He could feel something was wrong, he felt apprehensive too. He was nervous... about what? He can't remember...

He closed his eyes and envisioned its demonic red eyes.

This wasn't fear he was feeling... this was... hope?

He looked out of the open cockpit at Ren, now climbing into the back seat of the third Redler. Something happened down there, and she knew, and it scared her. But what? Why can't he remember?

"All set Colonel?" A young pilot climbed in and saluted. Karl nodded and the young man settled himself into the front seat. He jabbed a button and the hatch closed.

The radio cleared them for takeoff and Karl settled himself comfortably for a moderately short flight.

About this Diablo Tiger, he'll know soon enough.

* * *

Soldiers saluted as Karl passed them.

He was back in uniform. His steel studded boots rang out in the echoing corridors as Karl strode to the conference room.

Thomas walked beside him with Serenity following behind them.

Two soldiers opened the conference door to admit them.

Serenity followed apprehensively into the large room. She nervously noted the enormity of the room.

The high ceilings gave the room the feel of a cavern, a feeling she's all too familiar with. In the centre of the room, stood a great table which set within it was an electronic map. Some important looking officers stood around it with grim expressions on their faces. Among those there were some younger people who didn't seem to fit into the picture. None of them were in uniform... one of them was a giant metal lizard...

This wasn't your average conference that's for sure.

Karl strode into the room confidently, saluting the officers before taking his place at the table. He glanced over at Van and his entourage and nodded a greeting. He had already changed into uniform, and for some odd reason, he looked a lot more intimidating than how Serenity remembered him. His face was set in a stony frown as he observed the map, trying to glen whatever information he could before the briefing. His recent "vacation" left him somewhat out of the loop, so to not look absolutely ignorant; Karl's mind was going over time, trying to resurrect any and all lingering memories of that incident.

"Colonel Schubaltz, good to see you alive and well." A blond republican officer greeted.

Karl snapped out of his brooding daze and greeted back, "Yes, good to see you too, Colonel Herman."

"I hear there was an attempt on your life..."

"Yes, it's all in the past now. We should get back to the current and more pressing matters."

Herman smiled in acknowledgement, and tapped the electronic map. An area immediately magnified to reveal an imperial base.

"This border base is Zephyr's Sand base, back in the war you imperialists captured this from us and we conceded it to you. But as most of us here would know, this is one of the few bases that the Guardian Force convenes on. Also the base that the arms talk was going to be held."

A majority nodded, only Serenity remained perplexed. She wasn't even quite sure why she was privy to such dangerously vital information.

Herman glanced up, "A week ago, this base was attacked."

This statement was directed more to Karl than anyone else, he had missed that meeting as well as being the only one there that was completely unaware of the situation.

"A while after the Guardian Force left in search for you."

"Then why are we_ just_ taking action?" Karl questioned sternly.

Herman frowned slightly. "With all due respect Colonel, but you had never warned us about how dangerous your new friend was, we had no idea of what it could have possibly been till Van drew the connection... and believe me that took a lot longer than it should have."

The ditz in question made a face but was quickly quietened down by the lady beside him, Fiona, whose expression at this moment was of worry and muffled confusion.

Karl frowned in thought, at this moment, he felt just as confused...

"How is it, if I may ask, that you know it's this Zoid in particular?" Karl ventured the question.

Van answered, "Well honestly nobody saw that zoid clearly, it attacked in the dead of the night, and all the reports via communications were panicked and rushed. At first we thought Raven was at it again... but then we were getting stagged reports about zoid attacks whereby a purple tiger zoid would completely destroyed zoids. A day after you were discharged from the clinic, we found the remains of your zoid in a depression in the sand. It didn't take a genius to figure it out."

Serenity's eyebrow twitched, they should have figured it out the moment they knew a "purple tiger" was involved.

Karl felt the same way but he did not let his thoughts show on his face.

Herman nodded, "And that's all we have now, Colonel... but I hear we have someone who might be able to shed some more light on the situation with us." He glanced over to Serenity. She immediately stiffened, having caught the attention of everyone in the room. Karl gave her a little nudge forward, she had previously been hiding behind him. She stood next to him, unsure of what to say, she glanced at Karl appealing for him to help.

He got the message.

"Ren, tell them, where we found that zoid. Then tell everything you remember about it."

She took a deep breath and nodded.

* * *

X marks the spot, Karl flicked his pen along a map. He was back in his office, mapping out the origin point of the zoid, and then in turn marking out all the points where attacks occurred. He leant back and sighed. It was fairly late, and he felt no desire to sleep. He was up to date now, and a plan had been thought up thanks to Ren's information about the emergency distress beacon.

But Karl couldn't shake the feeling; there was something more to it...

Why did that zoid carry him if it was such a fearsome enemy...?

He sighed further and took one more glance at the scribbles on the map and folded it up. There was nothing more he could do on this case, so he might as well move on. It was Van's job to destroy that tiger zoid, and he had no doubts the young man could handle it.

Karl took out a key and unlocked one of his drawers. In it was a stack of papers, none of which he gave a second glance. He wedged a section out of the base of the drawer and drew out a small black book. Half the book were tagged with multicoloured markers, it was evident it had been studied thoroughly.

The rest of his papers were still at home, Karl made a note to get Thomas to fetch them for him later, as well as his pot plant. He took out a notebook from the hidden compartment and opened his page to where a blue marker stuck out. The book was in Latin, a language that was almost completely lost on planet Zi. Only some linguistic scholars partook in the study of this otherwise redundant language. The Latin, as it turns out, was the easy to figure out part. Much of the translated Latin only contained lines of script that made no sense with numerical-letter codes printed beside each paragraph. Karl had not been able to decipher the whole thing, but he was slowly taking it apart. This was his research, and the thing he suspected had him marked for assassination. After all... his father died for the same thing. Karl grabbed a hand-written Latin dictionary out of the bottom draw, one he himself had written up as a youth.

Karl and Thomas had once been made to learn this dead language. Karl's understanding of the language had always been shaky at best. He never understood his father's desire to make them learn something so useless, that is, until the moment he first opened this journal.

He knew it was important, the day he set eyes on it. It had no title, no name, nor any form of identification. But the moment he saw what was inside, the writing... it was unmistakable. That was his father's writing. And the meaning was undeniable either. This book was left for him.

There had always been an element of mystery as to why his father had died. Karl's rank in the army allowed him to be privy to the fact that his father had been involved in the investigation of a rebellion plot and was killed for it.

But that was never the case.

The rebellion had been instigated years before the assassination. His information no longer held any weight... nor would revenge be well founded. They had long since taken a large chunk of imperial land and christened it a "Republic." They were had already succeeded in what they were trying to do, and revenge on an officer that was merely investigating them was a bit beyond his capability to consider.

And the other thing...

His father was killed by an Imperial assassin...

There was another reason his father had been killed.

And Karl had all the answers in his hands.

However, he discovered this purely by accident. He was originally assigned to investigate Prozen's Deathsaurer research facility, only to discover, that it was one of the original research facilities created by anti-imperialists before the separation of the Republic from the Empire. The less sinister ones were on what is now Republican territory, and were converted to zoid manufacturing factories after the split. The dangerous ones were those that lay in secret deep in Imperial territory... Just like a dozen others that his father had revealed. The ones discovered were either dismantled or converted to the Empire's own use.

But the one Prozen had not been one of those discovered.

It was from here Karl's investigation stemmed into the past, digging up old documents that had been over looked and discarded. And then this ... journal...

Handed to him by a friend of his father's, someone who had revealed that he too had had been participating in the investigation, but was never privy to his father's information. From him, Karl learnt many details of the case, including the nature of these research facilities, and the extensiveness of their reach. It was still unknown how many there actually were since when the Republicans detached from the empire, they abandoned and destroyed many that were at risk of being discovered, and took the ones that were on the land they occupied, however on that note they themselves could not locate every last facility, for not all of them were created with freedom in mind.

That was the main objective in this investigation, he was to discover any and all facilities and their principle of research so that they could not be used against the empire again.

And that is where the journal came in. A small black encrypted book that detailed his father's investigation... or Karl had thought. It took months before Karl could get a grasp upon the code, and even then it was a small portion. But what he learnt was startling. From this diary, in his father's own twisted and jumbled words, he admitted his own involvement in one of the facilities, participating in their project. The location was never mentioned, nor could Karl make sense of enough to get an understanding of why. He could only guess, his father had turned traitor and was duly put down.

Bitterly he acknowledged the irony. Being a man who did not dwell on the past, he delved into it quite diligently.

Karl leant back and sighed once more. He was beginning to get a headache, the journal evidently did not wish to be deciphered.

He absentmindedly flicked through the book. When a smudge of colour caught his eye.

A spot of red within the black text of writing and the tatty yellow of the pages.

A red page marker folded in on itself from another page.

Karl gently peeled it back, revealing what it had hidden.

He could only make out a few words

Empire... X...

Diablo.

Karl did a double take.

He wasn't imagining it. There was the word Diablo. Printed clear and plain in English.

In shock he translated as much of the text underneath it as possible.

May it never come to pass that _they_ will walk freely upon Zi.

Karl could not help but draw parallels...

Diablo tiger... this... is...

Such an impossible coincidence.

Diablo tiger.

The demonic beast.

But such a coincidence...

But if it was true, then it held more importance to the Empire than anything he could ever have imagined.

He sat there, dumbfounded...

If this was the case, than a crucial piece of the puzzle was just unwittingly handed to him.

And Van was out there... hunting it...

He had no doubts the man could handle the job...

That's the problem.

* * *

A/N: Finally! The actual plotline begins! I apologise for how long it took me to finally start. That build up was waaaaay too longwinded.

Medical fact: You might be wondering how Karl is able to get around and about in just over a week's recovery time especially since after severing a vein in which case stitches would need about a fortnight to set the wound (Well one of my lecturers claimed it would need about a month, another said it'd be right as rain within a few days... so don't take my word on it) as well as muscular damage which would be really tender and fragile before full recovery. Well the thing is accelerated healing is observed within patients who are in comas. There was a case of a man who suffered burns to about 40% of his body and had to be put into a drug-induced coma to allow him to be better treated and to heal faster. The doctors had originally estimated it'd take him a month in this coma to recover, however within nine days he was well enough to be taken out of the coma and was up and walking about three days after that. This is however an example of a "beneficial coma" and not all comas are beneficial. Comas occurring from brain-damage such as "traumatic coma" (getting hit really hard) and "hypoxic coma" (loss of oxygen) are rarely beneficial comas. Even so, beneficial or not, all comas come with a price. The longer a person is in a coma, the longer they'll take to recover when they come out of it due to muscle deterioration and ulcerations (bedsores) leading to infection. If I were to classify Karl's coma it'd be Hypoxic, however not to the point of brain damage.

-Zoid Data-

This section was created to give readers some idea of the power comparison of each zoid mentioned in the fiction. After all, not everyone has the privilege of having an entire zoid encyclopaedia at one's beck and call.

Black Redler (aka Redler Interceptor)

Alliance: Imperial

Pilot: Unknown

Weight: 39.5t

Speed: Mach 3

Main Weaponry: (Power based on a point evaluation system)

Cannon - 90

Booster - +400 speed

Anchor Claw - 130 (Anti-air damage)

Armour defence: 25

Note: Seriously... why on earth was Van running in that episode Heroes of the Sky? These things couldn't hurt a fly. Plus if you factor in that they can reach speeds of Mach 3, which is 1020.87m/s. Further convert it to km/h and we get 3675km/h. Now consider the Blade Liger, its top speed is 305km/h. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but unless the boosters on the Blade Liger could accelerate it twelve times faster than its top speed, there's no way Van could have outran the Redlers.

Irritating convo-

Darkrad: Oh I see what you did there...

Me: What?

Darkrad: At the beginning of this chapter...

Me: What?

Darkrad: You know... the... you know...

Me: ... what?

Darkrad: ... *facepalm* Read the end of your last chapter... then read the beginning of this one.

Me: ... ok? *reads chap 6* hmmm... *reads chap 7* ... ... !

Darkrad: So... not on purpose?

Me: F-F-F-FREAKIN HELL! NOW I CAN'T UNSEE IT!


	8. Ruse

It's Friday again, you know what that means! Update time!

Thank you to Darkened-Storm for being my first reviewer this week! Thomas was the major comic-relief character in the second season after all, might as well use him to his full potential xD. About the medical mumbo jumbo, yes I could have left it out, I'm sure most people wouldn't care, but... I'm pedantic, very pedantic... You guys wouldn't care but I would.

To Tickleback: Karl is 29 in this fic, I mentioned it in chapter one and in chap two. And what you say is relevant to my interests... is thirty not too old? Many people I asked say thirty is the expiry date, and that life ends at 30... I just operate on that premises. Hmmm I've got to do more research on this then...

To Levells: I swear I had no idea when I was writing it that it'd sound like that... Darkrad really does have an interesting view of the world... Oo; Haha thanks for your kind evaluation of my story, I hope the rest of it lives up to your expectations!

To randomcat23: Van's no ditz but he's not the most observant :3 so fun to tease. And Karl will meet the Tiger fairly soon ;) This may be fiction but as a student of the health sciences I'm very pedantic about these science-related things, plus I enjoy leaving small random fun facts all over the place.

Lol I wondered if anyone reading the last chapter was gonna go "ZOMG DEATHNOTE RIPOFF!" (maybe everyone was just too polite to mention it...)

But omg yay! 20 reviews to date! I can't believe it! Milestone! *pops another bottle of champagne and mixes it with some hard liquor*

**The title picture** **I drew for this fanfic is linked on my profile page**. Please take a look for a visual on Ren and the Diablo Tiger.

Disclaimer: I do not own Zoids or any of the characters in relation.

Thanks to DuskStarDragon and Darkrad for Beta-ing my work. Also a thanks to the newest Beta-reader to join their ranks, thank you to Darkened-Storm, I'm so glad you survived the cliff-hangers despite my best efforts.

* * *

Affinity

Chapter 8: Ruse

"You're certain?"

"Of course Schubaltz, not a sign of it."

Karl stood once again in the conference room, facing Van.

The young man had been deployed at sunset, Serenity's account confirmed Herman's beliefs that the Tiger only moved in the darkness. Van had been patrolling around the area of the most recent attack, merely one night before. He had an emergency distress beacon attached to the top of his Liger, Thomas hid in ambush not too far away, as well as the ever-so-unmotivated Irvine.

However it was never meant to be. They received a message to withdraw before they could draw out the culprit.

But not on the Colonel's orders.

Another base had fallen prey, and they were way off the mark. The base was a republican base deep in republican territory, close to the capital, while Van and cohort had been rambling about beyond the Imperial borders.

The moment they came back they were told of the terrible news. It was lucky that no one died. The Diablo tiger destroyed the one Gojulas stored in the base, as well as the all the Godos. However, strangely enough...

"None of the Shield Ligers were touched... Nor the Command wolves..." Karl was at a loss, he couldn't understand why either.

After making sure that everyone was safe, he had debriefed them on the situation. Everyone was shocked at this new turn of events, and couldn't make heads or tails of this new development.

"Why weren't any of the ligers or wolves targeted?" Thomas hit the nail on the head with that question.

Herman voiced his thoughts, "It is possible that the Diablo didn't feel those zoids were a threat."

"But Herman, that can't be right." Van piped in, "We all know ligers are better than Godos, why the hell would all the Godos be destroyed if it was only after strong zoids?"

Got him there.

"It could be a preference thing..." Irvine mused, "Maybe it just doesn't feel like attacking those kinds of zoids?"

Karl shook his head, "We found remains of a Liger with my Iron Kong. It had the markings of one that had been attacked by the Diablo."

"Yes, but Schubaltz, it was already crushed by your zoid."

Karl fell silent at that. That could be true... He had never considered the zoid's wellbeing as a factor to why it was desecrated.

"Hold on a minute!" pipped a voice that belonged to a person who had not been there previously.

"Doctor D! When did you get here?" Van greeted to old scientist. He had been called out from the excavation of an ancient Zoidian ruin by Herman, and considering the old man's eccentricities, had not been expected for some time.

"I've been lurking in that shadow for a while now" he claimed pointing to the darker corner of the room, "and I would like to point something out that no one has considered."

He cleared his throat, "now, why don't one of you tell me, why I haven't heard a scrap of news as to the casualties of wild zoids?"

Herman was surprised into silence, naturally he had not considered this. It was just assumed that the Diablo had been randomly targeting zoids. Yet now that he thought about it, not a single wild zoid carcass had been found to bear any of the trademark damage.

"We found no casualties among the wild zoids." Herman admitted.

Doctor D nodded, "Uh huh, I thought so. Tell me Colonel." He turned to Karl. "Were there any Zaber Fang Old models among those zoids in that unfortunate Imperial base?"

Karl shook his head. "No, the Zaber Fang Old had been phased out since the mass production of the new model. I don't think any base stock the Old model anymore."

"Well, tell me Colonel, what zoids did that base stock?"

"We had a few Zaber Fang New model, or current model one might say. They were modified assault units. More than a dozen Dark Horns, some Red Horns, and, if memory serves correctly, a handful of Iron Kongs, the oldest version. It did not hold any flying Zoids since it was not an air base."

"No Molgas?" Van questioned absentmindedly.

Karl shook his head in affirmation. "No, Molgas were created as a cheap mass production unit during the high demand in the war. None are mobilised as of this moment. The last of the Molga units are locked in military storage."

"I'm surprised Van... you should have known that." Irvine gave him a smug look.

Before Van could act up, Doctor D interjected. "Do you see it now?"

Everyone paused, unsure as to what the good doctor meant.

"I think everyone should take a moment to think. Let's take a look at our Imperial friend's zoids. Notice, every one of the zoids currently in mobilisation is artificially rendered. Even the Zaber Fangs, that would have been naturally occurring zoids, were completely modified, core and all, to give maximum output. The Horn types were naturally derived from Black Rhimoses, and of course, the Iron Kong, was derived from the Hammer Rock, they were all completely and totally artificially created within the Empire's research facilities."

A shudder went through Karl, somewhere in his mind, an echoing familiarity rang out.

"Now let's think of it from the Republican side. The base that was targeted had all our artificial zoids destroyed. And now we come down to the basics. The Shield Liger, as we all know, is a natural zoid, as is the Command Wolf. The Republic never made such changes to these zoids as to alter their Chassis, Core or OS. That brings me to the conclusion, that this Diablo zoid is purely targeting artificially created zoids."

Everyone quietly digested this. It was definitely a new way to look at the situation. The patterns were definitely there. But that just begs another question.

"Why?"

Everyone turned to the usually charmingly detached Fiona, who now wore an uncharacteristically worried expression.

"Why would it attack these zoids?"

Herman shook his head, "That doesn't matter right now, the main thing is to neutralise this threat as soon as possible."

"The young lady has a point you know." Doctor D quipped, "We should know as much about this as possible, who knows, maybe a battalion of these zoids were made, or maybe just this one. But either way, we must make sure."

_Empire... X..._

Karl mentally shook himself. He wasn't even sure if they meant anything.

His mouth opened, and before he could stop himself he asked, "But why wasn't Thomas and Van attacked when they first encountered it?"

Everyone turned to him, he pressed on. "Van's Blade Liger was definitely completely altered from the Shield Liger that it was originally, and Thomas' Dibison is a completely artificial zoid created by the Republic."

"That, I'll admit is a slight inconsistency." The doctor nodded. "However, wasn't it you who was sitting in the cockpit Colonel?"

Karl nodded, "but I was unconscious as of that moment."

"Yes but regardless, you were the main variable factor at that moment, so we cannot completely discredit this theory. What do you say?"

Karl paused, and then slowly agreed. "I can't deny the possibilities."

The doctor nodded his approval, "Ok good, now I would like you all to try your best to catch this little devil."

Herman twitched, "Catch? ... Doctor, surely you jest."

"Ohoho! I have never been more serious in my life young man. Where's your active curiosity? Don't you want to know what makes it tick?"

"I assure you Doctor, that the only thing I want is for that thing to cease its functioning."

"Hold on a minute Colonel Herman," Karl made up his mind. "I do believe the good doctor's right. It would benefit us to capture this zoid."

This elicited a surprised look from both parties, all of whom thought Karl a bit more headstrong in the field of sensibility.

Karl was not at all deterred, usually he would have considered the benefit to effort ratio for embarking on such a dangerous operation. His main concern had always been the welfare of his men, and cannot be said as to ever unnecessarily jeopardising the lives of any other.

However this time he knew he had made a risky decision. He'll endanger the lives of whoever was assigned to this mission even further by implementing further handicaps upon them. It was quite obvious to him as to what to do.

"I understand the risk. That is why I will personally see to this mission."

Everyone in the room fell stark silent. No one was quite sure as to what to make of such an announcement.

"Karl..." Thomas stepped over to his older brother. "Am I to believe that this is just because you feel responsible in some way?"

Karl shook his head, that thought had occurred to him, but if it had been his motivation, he would have volunteered to be its exterminator.

Thomas fell quiet, observing his brother for a moment, trying to gauge the reason from Karl's expression alone. He knew his brother was hiding something, and judging by his almost extravagant proclamation of singlehandedly overcoming the ferocious beast, this must be big...

If that was the case...

"I'm in too."

Karl looked sharply at Thomas. He wasn't at all surprised by Thomas' offer, but how much conviction he had in his voice. Thomas trusted him this much to make the right decision... He almost felt guilty for his selfish reason; it wasn't even a hundred percent certain that he was on the right track.

"Well then, me and Irvine can't let you have all the fun!" Van stepped forward with a smile.

"Hey! Why am I involved?" Irvine snapped, though his outburst was largely ignored.

Karl gave a wry smile.

Doctor D clapped his hands together to get everyone's attention, "That's all well and good that you young ones are so eager. But do you any of you have even the faintest idea of how you're going to embark on this?"

Everyone looked at Karl expectantly. He was rather taken aback; honestly, he only just decided to do this a moment ago.

He paused for a moment to think... he knew it was a powerful close quarters fighter... so it would be suicidal to take it head on.

"We use the Ariona chasm, that tangle of cliffs is like a maze, we lure it in, and fire at it from above until we immobilise it." Karl concluded logically.

"Well Colonel that would be a marvellous plan if you were planning on destroying it." The Doctor remarked.

"We won't aim at its core or CPU, we'll aim at its limbs to immobilise it."

"Well I don't doubt your sharp shooting skills but this still carries a moderate to high risk of accidentally damaging its data."

Karl fell silent, acknowledging the high chance of that possibility. However anything they did carried a certain risk... but there had to be some way to minimise the risk factor.

"How about using a Spark Liger?"

All heads turned to the quiet girl standing in Karl's shadow. Even he failed to notice her standing there the whole time.

Upon her words the Doctor's grin lit up. "The Spark Liger? Is this the new, republican military top secret research project Spark Liger you're talking about? My oh my young lady, how ever did you find out about that?"

Serenity flushed, suddenly realising the position she put herself in with her suggestion. She didn't answer.

"Well, she's obviously seen the Spark Liger before, piloted by the assassin. The one my Iron Kong crushed."

Serenity's eyes snapped to Karl's quickly, she got the message, he was covering for her.

"Yes, that's right... Colonel, I do believe you told me what it was..."

Wrong answer!

"Colonel Schubaltz... please, do tell us why you were privy to unreleased republican secrets." Herman challenged. They all knew now, that at least one of them was lying.

"The enemy pilot identified himself before the fight. I believe that was when he disclosed the information about this zoid." Karl lied, without even a pause, he was a fast thinker.

Thomas' eyes narrowed but he said nothing.

Herman huffed; he was satisfied by the answer, but not happy. This meant that the military prototype was cycling the black markets already.

"Major O'Connell!"

An azure haired man snapped into attention, "Yes sir!"

"I would like you to contact headquarters immediately and lead an investigation into this leak. When you find the perpetrators, I want you to contact me immediately!"

"Yes sir!" He turned to leave.

"Just a moment Major, I'm not done." O'Connell doubled back. "I want you also to request the head research facility send over any available Spark Ligers to this location."

O'Connell waited two seconds more, then after confirming that it was all Herman had to say he promptly saluted with a "Yes sir!" and exited the conference room.

With that the meeting was adjourned.

* * *

A light tap on his shoulder alerted Karl to another person's presence. He turned, expecting to see Thomas, or even Herman, thus his face was levelled to meet with a person his height...

With a slight feeling of dread he tilted his head down to meet the blue eyes of the comparatively shorter young girl.

Karl wasn't sure how to deal with her as of yet... after the events at home and all.

Serenity cast her eyes around awkwardly, not meeting his eyes. "I just wanted to say, thank you, for not exposing for me..."

Karl didn't bring himself to answer. He already confirmed with himself that Serenity had indeed been the pilot who ambushed him, at least one of them. He couldn't remember much else clearly. And being the cautious man he was, he did have a moment's musing on the danger she posed. But only a moment, because with whatever he might have forgotten of her, one thing was certain. She saved his life, he'll never forget that.

"There wasn't anything expose..." Karl answered gently.

A guilty smile crept onto Serenity's face.

Karl's face flushed suddenly, and he quickly turned. He was reminded of what had happened the previous day's morning when she donned that smile. That thought lead to the memory of the night before that, he couldn't tell if he was blushing from embarrassment or otherwise.

Unfortunately, it was only as Karl's head turned, did his eyes pick up what his ears failed to do. Thomas stood there, unusually quiet and staring at Karl in an awfully critical way.

How much had he heard?

They didn't say much, but the little bit they exchanged was incriminating. Definitely incriminating.

Thomas confirmed Karl's fears.

"So Karl, what is it you've been hiding from us about her?" He asked, eyebrow raised.

"..." Karl was pressed for excuses.

"Karl!" Thomas straightened and faced off against his brother. "This is no time to hide things from me!"

There was a moment of silence, and then Karl turned to Serenity and told her solemnly that it was late and she should rest.

She got the message and left quietly, knowing full well that in her carelessness she just endangered her own life, as well as possibly Karl's career.

After she was out of earshot Karl turned his attention back to Thomas.

"We'll talk in my office."

* * *

The hallway echoed as Serenity wandered around aimlessly. The possibility of what might happen weighed down on her. She had sought Karl out again to simply express her gratitude... and to explain her actions in the morning's events. She didn't want it to stay awkward between them forever.

And there was also that issue with the price on his head...

She didn't know everything, but she knew a lot more than she let on, and what his brother had said was true. This wasn't the time to keep secrets...

She turned on the spot, with every intention of returning only to be bowled right over by the azure haired man she saw earlier.

Stuttering out an "excuse me" and a "please forgive me" the man barely paused as he tore off through the corridor.

A little stunned, Serenity sat on the floor contemplating on whether that man had an excuse for being so terribly rude.

She bristled suddenly with goose bumps. A soldier only runs that fast within the hallway of a base when there was something horribly wrong...

Without so much as another thought, she picked herself up and chased after the soldier.

* * *

Thomas stood stunned before the desk of his brother. Was he for real?

That girl was the pilot who had tried to kill him?

And he didn't even inform anyone! Not only that, he went as far as to protect her and offer her refuge in their home.

His mouth gaped wordlessly for a few moments, unable to form coherent words. And here he had thought that Karl was _**sensible**_.

Karl however sat behind his desk, elbows calmly resting on the tables, chin propped on his intertwined fingers. He waited patiently for Thomas to wrap his mind around his confession of recklessness.

However, the first thing Karl had said when sitting down at his desk was that Ren had saved his life and that Thomas should keep that in mind as he heard the full story.

It seemed his words fell on deaf ears...

"ARE YOU MENTAL?" Thomas screamed finally finding his voice.

Karl flinched slightly at the sheer volume, "That is hardly the tone to take with your superior officer."

"Karl! Maybe I'm not making myself clear... You are being targeted by assassins! And not are you not keeping a low profile, you're actually flirting with one of them!"

Karl's face almost hit the desk.

Him? Flirt?

He was just privately recounting an embarrassing incident...

Admittedly it was his fault...

And admittedly again it did undertone some previous unchaste behaviour...

But...

...

He was out of excuses for himself.

Karl stared wordlessly at Thomas for a second, unable to think of a comeback.

Thomas ploughed on. "Karl, be realistic! An attractive young _barely _legal girl takes a liking to a man more than ten years older than her. And it just so happens that she has already made one attempt on his life. Does something not add up to you?"

Karl was not flattered.

"Thomas! She has saved my life once! If she was going to kill me, she just didn't have to return, I would have died there."

"And what if this is a ploy?" Thomas pressed on. "What if her goal was to earn your trust to infiltrate your life? What if her goal was to gather information about you? About the Guardian Force?"

Karl sat with his hand over his face, when he spoke his voice was quiet and calm... and surprisingly menacing. Thomas fell silent immediately, Karl was angry, and not in a good way.

"Thomas. Do you not think I haven't considered this?"

He did not answer.

"Tell me, when you consider your own accusations, do you honestly believe the practicality of your own suspicions?"

A moment passed as Thomas half-heartedly considered this. He was cautious for his brother's sake. It is true that he couldn't imagine anyone going to such lengths to set up such an infiltration, but he has been known to be wrong.

And so has his brother.

"Karl..." Thomas ventured. "I will agree with you that everything she's done since seems harmless. But... I will keep an eye on her. I hope for your sake, that you will too."

A deathly silence enveloped the both of them. Neither could find anymore words for the other. They were at a crossroads of opinion, this time with Thomas being the voice of reason.

Both were saved from this awkward spell by the sudden knock and intrusion of Major O'Connell.

"Colonel Schubaltz." The Major greeted with a salute. "Your presence is required at the conference room immediately."

Without any hesitation Karl got up and immediately headed for the door.

"What is this about Major?" He questioned as he strode down the hallway, Thomas and O'Connell falling in behind him.

And the answer he received made him quicken pace.

"We've just located the mercenaries that ambushed you. But I'm afraid none of them are going to be any good to your situation. The Diablo got them."

Of all the things, the attempt on his life registered the least importance in his mind...

At this moment.

There was only one thing that stood out in his mind.

Serenity...

Her brother...

The one thing that Karl would always fear.

_The pain of losing a sibling... _


	9. Raid

Eighth week of updating, can you believe it's been two months already?

Thank you to Darkened-Storm for being first reviewer, muchly appreciate the typo check. Fridays are a great day to update indeed, unfortunately it's only Friday in Australia when I update, I do believe it's still Thursday in America.

Thank you to Randomcat23 for being my first reviewer who hadn't known what this chapter was about beforehand! Love Doctor D too! He's such a character! Of why it kills artificial zoids, know you soon shall~! Soon, I hope lol.

To Levells: What about keeping the black notebook in a secret compartment at the bottom of the drawer and stack important looking things on top? That's what Light did back in Deathnote lol. Ingenious plan really. I do love it when you don't expect stuff in a chapter x3

To tickleback: D'awww thank you so much! I try my best to be original because I plan to be a manga artist one day! I see writing fanfiction as a chance to test my storytelling abilities. Advice is always welcome and helpful, there's always room for improvement. And thank you for your social insights, I always assumed thirty was the threshold age, I didn't realise this rule applied differently depending on status... And lol, at "trophy girl"... I don't know why that term makes me lol so hard...

Wowwow look at all them reviews! Love you all! I do love the feedback to know how ppl like the plot/story and advice on various aspects! This is my training and my teachers are the reviewers!

**The title picture** **I drew for this fanfic is linked on my profile page**. Please take a look for a visual on Serenity and the Diablo Tiger.

Disclaimer: I do not own Zoids or any of the characters in relation.

Thanks to DuskStarDragon, Darkrad and Darkened-Storm for Beta-ing my work. The three Ds I'll call you!

Darkened-Storm's fic is Zoids: Rebirth Century, another fic based around a failed assassination attempt lol.

* * *

Affinity

Chapter 9: Raid

"... Three republican Shield Ligers, Two republican Spark Ligers and one Hellcat. Most of which had extensive damage to their chassis. All of which have had their cores destroyed and their cockpits crushed. No survivors were found. There were zoid tracks heading towards the area, but none found heading back out suggesting the perpetrator was a zoid with flying capabilities."

The Guardian force was debriefed by a Republican soldier over the intercom. The soldier had been mobilised to investigate the wreckage reported in Republican territory that afternoon. He had not reached the wreckage till the ungodly hours of the night due to miscommunication between the investigators and the civilian who discovered it.

Karl could not remember accurately the events that had transpired during his ambush, nor could he remember the zoids involved. However, he did not need to rely on his own memory. An accurate account had been dug out of his Iron Kong wreckage's memory files. The descriptions of these wreckages matched that of the combat data.

He chewed his lower lip. He was at least spared the role of informing Serenity. She found out when she had eves-dropped in on Herman and O'Connell. She disappeared before he arrived, it fell to Herman to confirm to Karl that she had indeed overheard.

Split between professional obligations and an empathetic soul, Karl wanted to find her quickly, and console her. The loss of his sibling is something Karl would never be able to cope with. Thomas was the only person he had left. It would be a heavy burden to bear if he were ever to lose him.

"Give me specific coordinates to where the wreckages were found, as well as a reading from the zoid's internal clock." Herman commanded.

The soldier in the intercom saluted as a map of some mountainous area in the republic appeared on screen. A red tag marked the location of the Wreckage site. It pointed to the bottom of what contour lines told him was a very steep valley.

Another screen popped up containing the readings of the zoid's time data. The reading was taken off the zoid's secondary OS drive since the primary drive was destroyed when the cockpit was crushed.

"This doesn't make sense..." Herman leant forward to recheck that he didn't misread the data. "This says that these zoids ceased functioning three days ago..."

O'Connell caught onto Herman's uncertainty immediately. "Wait. Colonel! Wasn't the Diablo within Imperial territory then?"

Herman nodded then brought up the tracking data of the Diablo Tiger. "Three days ago, at approximately O'Two hundred hours, a guarded imperial convoy delivering supplies to an unspecified base was attacked by the Diablo. All the pilots survived and the vehicle operators were able to bear eye witness accounts."

A map appeared on screen marking the spot of that attack.

"By the data from this newly recovered wreck, this attack occurred a bare three hours before the attack on the convoy." With a quick flick Herman brought up a large scale map of the Imperial-Republican border lands. The wreck sites were labelled a fair distance apart from each other.

"This isn't the only thing." Doctor D joined in, pointing at the photo of the mercenary zoid wrecks. "There are Shield Liger wrecks there too. That's an inconsistency with the previous attacks."

Herman harrumphed slightly. "That, I'm a bit sceptical about..."

Karl could see the logic in what Herman was saying, however many factors could contribute to this seemingly contradictory time frame. For one, the internal clock within the mercenary zoids could have been faulty, that would completely throw them off. The conclusion that they were drawing to was possible, no doubt about that, but until it can be confirmed it is just that, a possibility. But he knew there was one aspect of the zoid that most people would not consider unless they had witness its destruction first hand.

"I request that the republic salvage squad send over images of the wreckage." Karl spoke out. "I want any and all data that is salvageable from the chassis transferred over as well."

The orders were quickly processed and approved and the forensic photographs were plastered all over the screens.

Karl observed them with a resinated sigh; he found what he had been expecting.

"Colonel Herman." Karl turned to the Republican officer. "You were right about this being a set up."

"Oh? Do explain, Colonel Schubaltz." All eyes turned to Karl.

He moved to the control panel and enlarged a section of the photo.

"Take a look at this.

Van squinted sceptically, "Erm... I dunno Colonel, those look like pretty standard damage."

Karl shook his head, "They are still in one piece" he turned around and crossed his arms.

"This is done by something with a lot more surgical precision Diablo Tiger," he declared. "Because it tears with its teeth and claws, the entry wound to the core would be much larger than this."

"That is yet again just conjuncture Schubaltz." Herman mused, "However I cannot deny the evidence of the previous confirmed attacks and the possibility that someone could be covering their tracks."

Karl knew there was more than just a possibility, but he was not about to begin arguing. Someone wanted him dead, and was going to lengths to remove the evidence... But now that he returned to the military scene it was just a matter of time before news reached them. For all he knew it already has.

There wasn't a moment to lose.

"Colonel Herman, how long did you say those Spark Ligers were going to be?"

"A week."

"I can't wait that long." Karl fished a business card from his pocket. "I believe it's time to make a house call."

* * *

"Guns at the ready."

"Perimeter secured."

"Your orders sir?"

"We hold." Karl tapped the rim of his cap, partly to check that it's there, partly for patience. Dawn had just broken and he felt rather exposed in the new light.

As much as Karl wanted to re-observe the target, he knew his best option was to stay low in the dunes. As it so happens he only brought a pair of night vision binoculars, he didn't expect preparations and recon would take so long. A small squad of about twenty men crouched beside him, rifles at the ready, their breaths coming out in small misty puffs in the cold dawn air.

The target was known as Warehouse Alpha, codename for the main premises of the Zoid dealer who monopolised at the fringes of Guygalos. Initial core scanning and registration checks confirmed some of the zoids had been stolen, others were unregistered, which meant illegal generations. In other words, Karl's hunch was correct, this was an illegal dealership.

It was no surprise the initial scanning was met with heavy interference coming from within the Warehouse; however, after confirmation was acquired it became evident that it was fortified with much heavier defences. Much more than the regular warehouse would need just to deal with thieves. The motion sensor activated automatic mounted guns were just the tip of the iceberg. A thorough scanning of the warehouse premises confirmed high class motion detection alarms set up and sleeper zoids rigged to mobilize when these alarms are triggered. To make things worse, the access pass for these defences were guarded themselves by strong firewalls and digital triggers. If one of them was tripped it would immediately alert the mainframe that someone was hacking the system. This was a gamble, it was already possible to mount an offensive with a small group of infiltrators since they already were aware of where and how the traps were set, needless to say this would be very risky. However, if the White Hackers were to succeed in breaching the mainframe and shutting down the security, they would be able to move a larger force in relative safety. This would greatly improve their chance of success.

Karl knew the risks of the gamble and called for the second option. Safety of his men above all else.

He rubbed his neck to loosen his tense muscles, his leg was still aching but it didn't bother him as much as it did the day before.

Van's suggestion of just ramming in there with Zoids seemed awfully appealing to him at that moment, but no, this had to be a silent run. If they just break in guns flaring, the dealer would probably just destroy the merchandise just to cover up his crimes. Silence, patience and subtlety are what this mission called for, unfortunately that's a quality the rest of the Guardian force sadly lacks.

"Colonel Schubaltz!" Karl switched out of his thoughts and pressed a finger on his ear piece.

"Report." He commanded.

"The breaching was a failure. Alarm has been triggered."

Karl clenched his teeth. So much for silent run...

"But there is one thing sir." The ear piece continued. "We managed to divert the signal to a data clog and jammed it. It has not reached the mainframe yet."

Karl perked up. "How long do we have?"

"Approximately fifteen minutes."

"And that's all I'll need."

With a few quick hand signals Karl's squad stood from their shelters in the dunes and followed him in approach from the east, keeping the rising sun at his back. A tactic he has learned to appreciate.

* * *

Karl halted his company as they approached the wall, far away from the gate. Karl's sharp eyes picked out an intercom built into the side of the gate, he assumed that was how customers contacted the dealer inside.

The wall had no turrets built in, this was so that the local authorities would not become suspicious. Indeed this base was never reported to the military and at first glance it looked like any normal dealership with defences common to any business operating outside city boundaries but chances are there's corruption at the root of it. Karl suspected that the knowledge of the existence of this shady base had been hushed up and kickbacks were paid to keep this silent. If that's the case they would most definitely find themselves on the receiving end of a rifle barrel. Corruption receives the death penalty in the Empire.

Using grappling hooks the squad scaled the wall and dropped into the shadow at the base of the wall.

They were approximately Twelve meters from the closest turret and the motion sensors extended ten meters in radius from the turrets. With a quick flick of his hand Karl signalled the engineers to set up ion mines. Their function is to cause a massive power surge to short out fuses however their optimal distance was six meters. This meant that from a distance of twelve meters, the effects would be temporary, and with the ion mine knocking out the sensor detector and coms devices Karl would be going in blind.

They only had five seconds.

Karl removed his earpiece and gave the go.

A great electrical surge spread throughout the area, Karl felt his hair stand on end. Without any hesitation the engineers rushed to the first turret. They removed a panel from its side and began to disable the wires inside.

Karl held his breath as he watched, counting the seconds.

Three seconds left...

The engineers removed some wires from their socket.

Two seconds...

They inserted an electrode and sent a charge through.

One second.

The turret stayed still and silent. Karl breathed out a sigh of relief.

A quick flick of his wrist signalled the engineers to get to work on the security clearance panel at the door. Time was ticking, they had ten minutes maximum left.

Door unlocked, the engineers gave the clear. Karl nodded and waved them behind him.

Silently Karl edged the door open. He peered into the darkness, the warehouse was not yet active. A quick glace told him that there was no movement, thus the alarm had not been triggered yet.

He closed his eyes and envisioned the layout of this warehouse floor, and all the locations of the alarm triggers. There should be no problem; his memory and instinctive spatial orientation should easily get them across.

Karl entered through the door, gun at the ready. His men filed through behind him, rifles pointed in all directions. He remembered from the schematics that there was a sweeping sensor a few feet ahead of him. He located the laser pointer on the wall and quickly skirted it, his men following suit.

Many Zoids stood in docks, Karl noticed many unreleased experimental models among them. Two zoids stood like silent sentential close to the entrance, if the alarm were to be triggered the two zoids would be silent no more. Even as he proceeded inwards, Karl spotted what he had hoped to find. A Spark Liger was docked at a bay close to the warehouse door. He memorised its location to collect it later.

They proceeded up the stairs at the side of the warehouse, carefully avoiding sensors and cameras. The schematics of the warehouse had shown that the mainframe was within a locked and most probably guarded room on the floor above the warehouse hanger. The third door Karl recited.

There were no traps set on the top floor which indicated the amount of faith they had in their hanger security. The lack of standing guards alone was a testament to their over-confidence. Karl used this to his advantage by proceeding faster towards their destination, their steel shod shoes ringing against the metal of the grated floor.

They had less than five minutes left, how much less he wasn't sure of.

They reached a heavy steel door with a num pad lock. The ion mine's effects made electronically hacking the door impossible, this was the last obstacle and they were just about out of time. The game of subtlety ends there.

Karl made a sweeping hand gesture and the engineers stepped forward. They quickly plastered plastic explosive over the hinges and the lock latch, the weak spots.

The soldiers stepped far to the sides and crouched low. The engineers blocked their ears and detonated.

With a tremendous roar the door was blown off its hinges. Through the dust and debris they charged through, guns raised ordering everyone to the floor.

Two very alarmed security guards did as they were told and they were quickly disarmed and shoved into the back corner of the room. The engineers got down to work disabling the security of the warehouse.

"Secure the room, nobody gets in or out! Open fire against hostilities and hold fort till backup arrives!" Karl ordered and with that he switched on the radio he confiscated off the security guard and tuned it to military frequencies.

"Panzer squad one has secured location priority. Squads two, three and four, move in and apprehend all individuals."

The message was received and an "Affirmative" was given. Karl resumed his position beside his men; there was no way their entrance went without notice.

However as it was, nobody came to confront them. Curious, and more than slightly unnerved, Karl risked a peek and peered around the door frame. It was still dark and silent. He ventured out to the edge of the platform and peered over the railings into the murky darkness.

"Get the lights up." Karl ordered. His sharp eyes were picking up signs of movement on the floors below.

The lights flared up causing spots to appear before his eyes, it took a few moments for him to adjust, and when it did, it was just in time for him to swear and duck back.

A round of fire flew up at him as the once inert zoids sprang to life. Karl slid back into the room as the platform he was just standing was shot to pieces.

"What's going on?" Karl shouted over the sudden upsurge of noise. "I thought you disabled the zoids!"

"We disabled the sleeper controls! Those zoids are under pilot control!"

Karl did a double take, they were under pilot control, which means...

"They're trying to escape!"

Karl dashed back and grabbed the radio.

"All Infantry units pull back! Target is making their escape in zoids. Dispatch Lieutenant Schubaltz and Lieutenant Flyheight."

Karl took one last look over the shattered railing to confirm that at least ten of the zoids stored there had been taken. His heart plummeted as he realised that the Spark Liger had been among those. He quickly radioed it in but received an unwelcome reply.

"Yeah about that Karl..." Thomas answered with a nervous laugh. "We kinda found it..."

Van snorted, "You mean you kinda scrapped it?"

"Shut up you! But Karl... that wasn't the only one right?"

...

...

Karl face-palmed.

Thankfully that wasn't the only one. A quick search in the database turned up three of them, one of which was rented out as of the moment. It was a pity they couldn't apprehend the third but at least they had one Spark Liger...

Which, on hindsight was probably more than he could have hoped for.

* * *

A/N: To any and all confused Americans, Germany (like the rest of the world) uses the metric system and I assume the Empire does too. After all with names like Karl Schwarz (original last name) how could they not be German?


	10. Interception

Omg! Next week is exam week! Disaster! But I'll still update!

Thank you to Levells for being my first reviewer. Ty for the typo check! I hope you'll find the rest of my story just as likeable!

To Randomcat23: Thank you. Realism is what I aim for... to the point where I'd sit around for hours studying Wikipedia then interviewing my military family members for facts and figures. I should totally get a life.

To Arwigirl: Hurruh another Aussie! Aussie Aussie Aussie! Oi Oi Oi! Darkened-Storm is an Australian zoids writer too! I'm not the only one. And about your brain teaser... hmmm... I think Karl has a bit of an Indiana Jones relationship with his hat. He'd put his hand under a descending stone door to grab it. Personally I think it'd be a safer bet to kidnap Thomas for a ransom, because Karl would trade his life for Thomas... but he'd kill for his hat.

To Darkened-Storm: Since you know where this is going you know when to start feeling sorry for the readers. Buahahahah! I'm evil and you know it! The only reason there wasn't any typos last chap was because Levells beat you to it.

Oy Vey! Look at all them reviews! I feel so loved! I promise you guys I'll never rest on my laurels and continue onwards to improve my storytelling ability!

**The title picture** **I drew for this fanfic is linked on my profile page**. Please take a look for a visual on Ren and the Diablo Tiger.

Disclaimer: I do not own Zoids or any of the characters in relation.

Thanks to DuskStarDragon, Darkrad and Darkened-Storm for Beta-ing my work. Love you DDD!

Darkened-Storm's fic is Zoids: Rebirth Century, another fic based around a failed assassination attempt lol.

* * *

Affinity

Chapter 10: Interception

Startled awake by his pager Karl rolled out of bed and scrambled to find his shirt. He overslept, unheard of!

A quick glance out the window confirmed to him that night had indeed fallen. He sighed and began getting dressed; it seemed that of recent they've taken to becoming nocturnal. He headed for his ensuite bathroom to freshen up.

After the Spark Liger had been secured they formulated a plan to seize the Marauding Tiger. However there had been one unexpected twist of events. Van had test piloted the Liger all the way back to base as a trial. Although his skill with Ligers was without compare, it was evident that even he couldn't master the Spark Liger's foreign controls and surge timing immediately. If they were to allow time for Van to train, they might as well have hooked him up to a simulator and wait for the Republican Spark Ligers to arrive. Although, the problem got sorted out quite quickly soon after, in the worst way possible.

Karl paused in front of his mirror to straighten his collar and frowned. He was still groggy from lack of sleep, and stressed. Very stressed. Because the one person he did not want involved in this spoke out.

"I'll do it." A quiet voiced pipped up from the back of the conference room.

Everyone turned to the small figure standing by the door way. Serenity looked tired from lack of sleep but bore an expression of determination on her face.

Herman cocked an eyebrow. "With all due respect, do you even know how to pilot a Spark Liger?"

"I do."

Herman's expression set in a frown in a blink of an eye. Thomas looked stony but said nothing.

Serenity glanced once at Karl's expression of horror and gave him a wry smile.

"I am the pilot of the Spark Liger you found with the Iron Kong."

Van, only just catching on, exclaimed, "Wait a minute! You're-! You-"

Serenity averted eye contact.

In an instant, before anyone could make a move, or so much as an exclamation, Karl stood between her and the rest of the company.

"I trust her." Was the only thing he managed to say.

A moment of silence lapsed. Nobody knew what to say to that. She had just admitted to his attempted murder, yet he did not even bat an eyelid.

"I trust her too."

Everyone turned their surprised gazes to Thomas who flushed and rubbed his neck awkwardly.

"I mean... Karl trusts her, and although she might have tried to kill him, he already knew and..." His rambling trailed off.

"Ok then, if you two say so I'll trust her too." Van announced brightly. He was never the most judgemental character.

Herman was less convinced, and at that moment, he felt like the only practical person in the room.

"Just a minute. Colonel Schubaltz. I can't comment about your sudden affinity for recklessness but you're not just gambling one life right now. Lieutenant Flyheight is under my command and I cannot submit him to the same risk you're willing to take. Furthermore the Spark Liger is officially Republic property so I can't just let-"

"Oh stuff a sock in it Herman."

Herman spluttered with indignity as Moonbay elbowed her way into the conversation.

"I highly doubt that you strong soldier boys can't handle one delicate little girl. And besides," with a wink to Karl. "I think Schubaltz might know her better than you think."

Those that caught on to the hint sniggered or started with shock, to those that didn't (Namely Van and Fiona) just nodded in agreement.

Although it was a strange note to end a discussion, it was agreed upon that she would pilot the Spark Liger against the Diablo Tiger. Karl never got to express his opposition to that idea. He never agreed to let her pilot that darned thing.

He now stood in front of his mirror, forehead pressed against the glass. He was falling apart, there was too many things on his mind, coupled with lack of sleep. Now he doesn't even know how he's going to face the others after Moonbay's shocking proclamation. He's too old for her, he knows that. Society knows that.

...

This wasn't the time to think about that.

Karl straightened up and smoothed out his hair.

There was a job to be done now.

He picked up his pager and read the message. [Diablo 70 minutes from Labyrinth]

That was their cue to mobilise. Unbelievable that he was the one to be late.

Without another thought he dashed for the hanger.

* * *

They had mobilised from the hanger fifteen minutes late. Thankfully this wasn't because of Karl. Apparently Van and Irvine couldn't be bothered dragging their own carcasses out of bed; as a result Karl got to save face.

Everybody looked fatigued as they headed for the zoids. It was evident that another prospect of an all nighter was not in accordance with their Circadian rhythm. This was a factor he'd have to take into account. High fatigue means a higher chance of making mistakes, although he couldn't stop everyone else from making errors, he could at least keep himself in check by being aware of his own limitations.

Karl tightened his grip on his Zaber Fang's accelerators. He's fighting with a fast and manoeuvrable Tiger type zoid this time around. It wasn't as heavily armoured as his Kong, nor did it pack as much fire power, but it will fare well in one aspect the Kong would not, an aspect that was crucial to the mission. That was running away.

Karl was to act as decoy along with Van, both of whom would attempt to goad the Diablo into chasing them. Since Van piloted the Blade Liger, a unique Liger type that excelled in close range, Van had to be the one that risks close ventures. If either one of them ever got into the deep end, it was Thomas and Irvine's job to draw the Tiger away. The Dibison and the Lightning Saix were to be stationed at the top of the cliffs and shoot at the Diablo if it ever got too close to one of the ground pilots.

All this was just a ploy, because the most important and most dangerous role went to Serenity. Her only instructions were, "when you see a chance, stun it."

With a small sigh of resignation Karl tapped the rim of his hat, there was little point in worrying now. If he didn't want his fears to come to pass, he would have to focus.

And pray the others would too.

* * *

If one was to look at the situation from another angle, they might have considered the irony amusing. Because at that moment, the Diablo Tiger was not the only dangerous thing heading towards Ariona.

Tired of hunting and disabling the remanent Republican Sleeper Zoids for the Empire, a lone mercenary headed to the chasm. He had picked up the distress signal as he was heading back to a bounty lodge to claim some of his recent kills. Not from the kindness of his heart nor for the prospect of a reward did he decide to head towards the signal origin, but for being utterly bored mindless from the lack of any real challenge.

His cold grey eyes stared straight forward as he sped towards the signal. No one was foolish enough to try to attack him anyway. His power and skills were legendary in Zi. Not only that, next to the Deathsaurer, his zoid likely to be the strongest zoid to have been ever created.

No man with half a brain would attack him.

And he was right, no man would attack him.

But it wasn't a man who attacked him.

Without so much as a warning, he was barrelled over with so much force he could have sworn the Death Stinger got a hold of him again. The left side of his chassis sustained some heavy damage, but not enough to immobilize him.

With a curse he swerved his zoid around to face his attacker, just in time to meet the fangs and claws of a Tiger type zoid he had never encountered before.

Stepping down on his side booster he barely avoided that attack. The Tiger zoid landed on all fours and coiled into a strike position. Before it so much as moved a paw a bright red tail collided with its head and sent it sprawling. It writhed a bit and got back up and was met with a hail of blaster fire. To the mercenary's annoyance the strange zoid turned tail and ran. As it fled it seemed to melt into the background.

Optical camouflage.

That would have been a good tactic if it didn't leave footprints the size of an automobile.

There was no way he was letting this one get away.

With a sneer of contempt he called his organoid.

Raven needs his sport, and this little kitty cat was going to give it to him.

* * *

The strike force assembled on the steep cliffs of Ariona Chasm. Just below in the tangles of rough stone was a large distress beacon. It had been dropped off half an hour prior by a Whale King Fortress ship. It gave out a pulse periodically in a great magnitude so that traces of it could be picked up many miles away. The Whale King hovered above using its radar to scan the land and report on the Diablo Tiger's position.

This was the only reason they weren't left like fools, to scratch their heads in wonder as to why the Diablo Tiger never shown up.

"Colonel Schubaltz. The Diablo just diverged on path." The radio within Karl's Zaber Fang buzzed.

Karl snapped out of his stupor.

"What? What happened?"

"We're not sure, but the radar confirms that there is something in pursuit of it. We're cross checking the energy signature just to be sure."

Who the hell would chase the Diablo Tiger?

Wait, scratch that.

Who the hell could make the Diablo flee from them?

He wasn't going to wait around.

"Guardian Force, move out. We're engaging target out in the open."

It was one of those reckless decisions most people would never believe the good Colonel was capable of making. In all honesty he didn't think this was a wise decision either, but he believed in his own skills and the skills of his companions.

The strike force fanned out as they moved out into the desert plains.

Karl's sharp eyes picked out moving lights in the dark distance. He alerted his group to this and adjusted his direction and momentum. He saw a bright flash light up the deserts cape and the familiar sounds of a discharging cannon. With a lurch Karl realised who the pursuer was.

Without missing a beat, Karl opened a communications channel with Raven. He was mildly surprised when he actually got through.

"Yeah what do you want?" The young man asked gruffly without even looking at the screen.

"This is Colonel Schubaltz of the Guardian Force. We request that you stand down immediately!"

This elicited a slight glance from Raven, but he just sneered in his ever so non-compliable manner and shut the coms. Karl really didn't expect any results from reasoning with Raven, but one could hope.

"I'll keep him busy then Schubaltz!" Van messaged and broke formation. Karl didn't even get a chance to object.

Van turned his boosters on and drew level with Raven. Karl's Zaber Fang had no chance of keeping up with the Blade Liger's speed.

Without warning the Lightning Saix bolted past.

With a blanch of disbelief, Karl watched on as his battle formation was torn asunder by the reckless hotheads. His orders for Irvine to return was largely ignored as he watched the Lightning Saix cut the Geno Breaker off and the Blade Liger began to engage it in what looked like a wrestling match.

Karl stared on appalled... This was NOT what they were supposed to be doing. Their mission was to capture the rogue zoid, now Karl was down to half his force because three idiots were too busy catching up rather than do anything productive.

There was no other choice, at this point, Karl could only improvise.

Casting his eyes around for the Diablo Tiger, he discovered to his horror that he had lost sight of it. Karl quickly consulted his radar. He was perplexed; the only blips on it were the Guardian Force and the Geno Breaker. How could the Diablo have gotten out of sensor range so quickly?

Just one moment of distraction his cost him his credibility as a commander.

He stopped his Tiger in front of the three pilots, now playing three-way jousting, head in his hands. He was feeling like the biggest idiot. Behind him the Dibison and the Spark Liger halted, evidently confused to what was happening.

This was not possible, current technology can't accelerate any zoid to that speed.

How is this Possi-?

"Karl! Watch out!"

If it weren't for Thomas' warning, Karl would be the one lying on the desert sand in pieces. But as it is, his lightning quick reflexes carried him just out of dangers reach as the sand kicked up around him in a fury, heading straight for Raven.

It was by blind misfortune that Raven had been too busy enjoying shooting Van's shield to pieces to notice the invisible juggernaut headed straight for him. Just at the last moment, Raven made a slight shift around just as the Diablo Tiger flashed into existence and tore its claws into the Geno Breaker. Raven's quick reflexes saved his life as he turned just enough for his shield to cover his side. There was nothing he could do as the Diablo tiger tore the entire left shield piece off, claws and all. Raven quickly turned on his boosters and sidestepped out of harms reach, but the Diablo would have none of it. It lunged straight for Raven, before the pilot could even set his zoid down.

This was not to be the end of the young pilot however. With total disregard for his own safety (or just complete ignorance of the dangers) Van intercepted the Tiger in mid leap. They both crashed to the ground.

This was the opportunity.

"Ren! Stun it! Stun it now!"

Karl dashed forward, Serenity following after a moment's hesitation.

The Diablo Tiger rose and turned snarling in an almost confused fashion. It turned tail and attempted to flee. Before it could get its optical camouflage up, a barrage of gunfire rained down upon it. It was not so fast to react as the pilots had been and could only cringe as the bullets, calculated to miss, blasted craters around it. Karl was in range now, he was not going to give it a moment's reprieve. Using his Gatling gun, Karl caught the Diablo's attention.

Karl had expected the Diablo to chase him, but to his surprise, it just stood in place, taking the abuse with its back arched like a cornered cat.

It mattered not, Serenity closed in behind it, the fangs of the Spark Liger alit with a huge surge of electricity. This is it.

Or so he thought.

Without warning, the Geno Breaker ploughed into the unmoving Tiger, taking it out of Serenity's reach. Raven in his fit of fury threw the zoid to the ground like a rag doll and stepped on it crushing its hydraulics.

The Diablo Tiger writhed helplessly, crying its alarm as the Geno Breaker powered up its charged particle cannon.

Van threw his shields up, dashing in, hoping to make it in time.

But it was never to be.

In what could be the second most reckless thing he's done in his whole life, Karl threw his zoid at the head of the Geno Breaker at its unshielded left side just as the cannon fired. The resulting blast sent searing shockwaves through the Zaber Fang and disabled the command system immediately.

The proximity of the redirected Charged particle cannon melted the claws on the Geno Breaker's right side.

Raven was not pleased, to put it mildly. It seems the world was against him.

However before he could so much as move, his command system experienced a sudden shutdown as electricity surged through his zoid. A yellow liger was perched upon the back of his zoid, its fangs sunk into the chassis.

Caught with his back turned...

Indeed the world was against him.

Thirty meters away, the lightly toasted Colonel shared the exact same thought.

* * *

A/N: Oh Karl, don't be so dramatic. The world's not against you, the world loves you! That's why it has to inflict as much pain on you as possible! Nothing builds character like pain and suffering! =D

-Pilot Data-

This section was created for the sole purpose of comparing zoid Pilots, however keep in mind that the details are based on the game Zoid Legacy and within that game pilot's growth are solely dependent on the player. Thus only their speciality shall be observed.

Pilot: Raven

Gender: Male

Organoid: Shadow

Speciality:

Lvl 3 Geno type pilot

Lvl 3 Tiger type pilot

Multi-fire level 2 (Allows Raven to fire three guns at once)

Ultra reaction lvl 1 (Well look at that, Raven's slower than Karl)

Particle Gun Expert + 30%

Enduring shots + 20% (Bonus evasion to firearms)

Good Grappler +20% (Bonus points to close combat accuracy)

Lvl 3 Fury type pilot (Yet again, this confuses me)

Note: Yes Raven is geared for combat of every sort. And yes, he definitely is an awesome pilot. His reaction time may fall just under Karl's, but his ability to fire three guns at once that makes him more awesome at actually damaging enemies. Raven's bonus to his Charged particle cannon's accuracy is just the icing on the cake. However the one most confusing thing in his stats is that he's a Fury pilot. Just like Karl, that Zoid just doesn't belong there. In fact, Raven's entire zoid mastery list is much similar to Karl's, only Raven has a higher mastery of all of them (and doesn't have to put up with that shoddy Gorilla zoid).

-Zoid Data-

This section was created to give readers some idea of the power comparison of each zoid mentioned in the fiction. After all, not everyone has the privilege of having an entire zoid encyclopaedia at one's beck and call.

Geno breaker

Alliance: Imperial

Pilot: Raven

Weight: 137.5t

Speed: 345km/h

Main Weaponry: (Power based on a point evaluation system)

Front Round Shield - +70 defence, +80 armour.

X Breaker - 250

Focused Particle Cannon - 300

Laser Blade - 250

Hyper Claw -200

Armour defence: 100

Note: What can I say, this zoid was made to bash skulls in. Every single one of its armaments were made to deal the maximum damage it can. The focused particle cannon is able to deal piercing damage to more than one opponent. The only drawback of this zoid is that it only has one fixed firing weapon. For a pilot such as Raven who has the ability to fire three weapons at once, this zoid just doesn't cater to his needs. Now if Raven got his hands on the Geno Flame... well its good bye existence as we know it.

Note also, that the Geno only has one shooting weapon on it, knowing Raven and his multi fire ability he'd probably install a few more fast fire armaments for good measure.

Blade Liger

Alliance: Republic

Pilot: Van Flyheight

Weight: 124.0t

Speed: 305km/h

Main Weaponry: (Power based on a point evaluation system)

Shock Cannon - 140

Electron Shield - 200 damage worth of shielding

Laser Blade - 220

Armour defence: 50

Note: The Blade Liger... is not as glorious as it appeared on TV. It's definitely stomped on by the Geno Breaker. The only reason it could be as epic as it was in the series is because of Zeke who, when fused, heals the zoid, increases hit points, generator output and weapons attack power.

But it is still infinitely better than the Zoids Listed below.

Dibison

Alliance: Republic

Pilot: Thomas Richard Schubaltz

Weight: 230t

Speed: 130km/h

Main Weaponry: (Power based on a point evaluation system)

8- Missile - 85

3- Accelerated shock cannon - 140

Megalo Max - 230

Crusher Horn - 180

Armour defence: 50

Note: Okay well the Blade Liger is infinitely better than all the zoids listed below except this one. Thomas definitely has the best zoid out of the entire Guardian Force. Look at its power! Plus the Megalo Max and the Missiles are made to target large blocks of enemy. The only problem is the Megalo Max requires ridiculous amounts of energy to use, especially when considering how low its generator output is.

Lightning Saix

Alliance: Imperial

Pilot: Irvine

Weight: 65.0t

Speed: 325km/h

Main Weaponry: (Power based on a point evaluation system)

Pulse Laser - 110

Double Vulcan cannon - 55

Killer Fang - 130

Armour defence: 34

Note: Umm what can I say? This zoid is shocking compared to the other stuff the empire came up with (the good stuff, not the mass produced trash like the Molgas). And for the supposed fastest zoid of the series, it's just slower than the Geno Breaker, still, that's its only redeeming quality...

Zaber Fang (Schubaltz Series)

Alliance: Imperial

Pilot: Karl Lichten Schubaltz

Weight: 78.0t

Speed: 240km/h

Main Weaponry: (Power based on a point evaluation system)

Triple Shock Gun - 120

Beam Cannon - 60

Beam Gatling - 90

Killer Sabre - 160

Note: Karl does seem to be cursed with unworthy zoids. Karl's skill demands it! Give him a good zoid for heaven's sake! What is this? A handicap?

But still... it's better than Irvine's Saix.

Fun fact – Next time you guys go past the Zoid model isle, take a look at the box-art for the Zaber Fang SS (I don't know if this is unique to the Japanese box-art or if it's on the American one too). At the foot of the Zaber Fang you can see the emperor standing to inspect his troops. At the head of the troops is Karl Schubaltz, kneeling on one knee with his left hand crossed against his chest. At least that's what I see when I look at it, it could be fangirl-induced hallucinations, will be much obliged if someone could confirm. If the model was available in Australia I'd buy it in a heartbeat! Just for that picture!


	11. Beek

In the middle of my finals right now and I'm running short of food... Damn dorm living sux sometimes... All I have are some pasta, eggs and soy sauce... what would happen if I mix them together...?

... Kill me now... T,T

Thank you to animeazngal and Arwigirl for being the first reviewers. Seriously you two reviewed within one minute of each other! Plus your names are freaky similar! For a second there I thought one person reviewed twice Oo;

To animeazngal: I'm so glad you found this chapter exciting, if I do things right things are going to pick up pace from here on. Expect more excitement to come! (... maybe not in this chapter...)

To Arwigirl: I'm so glad I could bring some smiles to your day. I hope you feel better. I'm glad you think my characters are in character, I was afraid since I haven't watched zoids in seven years I might forget what they're like.

To Darkened-Storm: *lobs a snowball* Lol I think the whole Thomas trusting her there was more of a show of support for his brother, I seriously doubt he actually really trusts her. Raven's such a cute messed up kid... lets torture him some more later =D

To tickleback: I couldn't keep Raven out even if I tried, he was bound to turn up sooner or later. And thanks, I think battle scenes have become my forte, its stupid romance scenes that still gets me! *kicks*

To Levells: Ty again for the typo check! Thirty meters is not far especially when measured in giant robot proportions. Ahhh! I do believe you're right, the CPC wouldn't reach the claws... I made such a rudimentary continuity mistake... I must commit seppukku to regain my lost honour~! *Opens a jar of coffee*

To randomcat23: I thank thee for the long review! *hugs* and I think you're right about them not being late for military manoeuvres but keep in mind it is in the middle of the night, and even Karl woke up late. It's so much harder getting up on time at midnight than at daytime, I had to learn that the hard way... was stuck in New Zealand after I missed my midnight flight... and yay you like my battle scenes! They're my favourite to write. Not like stupid romance scenes... *grumblegrumble*

Holy schmokes! Look at all them reviews! I do believe this is my all time record for the most reviews for one chapter! *Pops the champagne* *Mixes it with hard liquor*

**The title picture** **I drew for this fanfic is linked on my profile page**. Please take a look for a visual on Ren and the Diablo Tiger.

Disclaimer: I do not own Zoids or any of the characters in relation.

Thanks to DuskStarDragon, Darkrad and Darkened-Storm for Beta-ing my work. Thank you D3! You sunk my battleship!

Darkened-Storm's fic is Zoids: Rebirth Century, another fic based around a failed assassination attempt lol.

DuskStarDragon's fic is A Bounty hunter's Gentleman, another Karl fic.

Just as a heads up, next week's fic might be a little late on accounts of me having to travel cross country on the day. Australia's a big place to roam.

* * *

Affinity

Chapter 11: Beek

Although he was relatively unhurt, Karl still had to spend the morning in the infirmary.

Having just trashed another Zoid in less than a fortnight, he was feeling less than pleased with himself, and was more than happy to withdraw out of sight.

In the aftermath of the battle, Thomas sent out a signal to call the Whale King in. The Diablo Tiger, the Zaber Fang and the Geno Breaker were all loaded in. Raven could not object since he had been put into immediate arrest for disruptive intervention. It was best to give him a few hours to cool his head, in the mean time the Geno Breaker would undergo repairs.

It was quite unusual for a mercenary to receive special treatment like Raven did, but he wasn't just any mercenary. He had been a key factor in the defeat of the second Deathsaurer two years previous, and although he had been the forefront of much destruction in the time of the war (and some after it), he had more or less dropped off the radar since.

Van had, on more than one occasion, tried to enlist him into the Guardian Force, and on more than one occasion was rejected. It didn't stop the boy from trying in the hope that his Rival-turned-friend (in his eyes anyway) would use his power for good.

Van was always incredibly naive.

However, naive or not, Van had a gift of encouraging those around him. Nobody could stand to hate the boy (except maybe Prozen) and as a result, nobody could ever say no (except maybe Raven). Which was why Raven was treated as a friend of Van's rather than an actual prisoner, even if it was against army protocol. Only he could ever get away with something like that...

Karl huffed a half hearted sigh as the doctor pulled a print of his cardiogram. There was nothing wrong with him, he knew this, but the doctors insisted on checking that the proximity from the electrical discharge of the Spark Liger did not interfere with his heart.

The doctor gave him the thumbs up and he pulled the electrodes off his chest. Raven had been offered a medical examination too, but true to his nature he refused and went off to pout in his cell.

Well he can't avoid it any longer. Karl buttoned up his jacket and donned his hat.

He might have lost his standing as an ace pilot but he's still the one in charge... of the Imperial part anyway.

He better get down to work.

* * *

Serenity stared down from the railings at the Diablo Tiger. Beneath it mechanics bustled around it, taking scans, checking readings and other forms of tests that she had no notion of. Right in the centre of it was Thomas, Karl's little brother, giving out orders and throwing his weight about every now and then. He really wasn't anything like Karl...

She let her gaze drift back to the Diablo. It was completely lifeless, the mechanics disabled it with a magnetic restraining bolt the moment they got it onto the Whale King.

The strange Doctor was rummaging around in the cockpit. Apparently enjoying himself immensely by whatever little novelty he found in there.

For some reason the Diablo Tiger felt a lot smaller... and less terrifying for that matter.

"Is something the matter Ma'am?" Inquired the Azure haired man.

Serenity wordless shook her head. O'Connell they said his name was, he had the duty of... baby sitting her.

She stared at him from the corner of her eye. If he was frustrated with his current role he didn't show it. He was either very good at being able to fake his mood, or he was very used to getting the shoddy end of the stick.

Turning her gaze down to the busy scurrying down below, she found her eyes following Thomas. He had the same ash blond hair that Karl did, and the same shade of mint for his eyes. However he was much lankier and did not carry himself as commandingly as Karl did. He was similar, yet very very different, though this was all just first impressions.

O'Connell noticed her interest, though it wasn't very difficult. She wasn't exactly being subtle, what with her leaning half a body length over the railings and all, it was a wonder why Thomas didn't notice her shadow hovering over him.

"That's Thomas Schubaltz, I notice you have an interest regarding his family."

That was putting it mildly.

Serenity withdrew her head cautiously. It was already understood that she had made an attempt on the Colonel's life. She wasn't naive enough to believe that she was already forgiven. She did not answer, anything she might do or say could so easily be taken the wrong way.

O'Connell however made no move to accuse. He was one of the few who gave some understanding to the situation. The soldiers who served under the Colonel only knew him as the powerful and brilliant zoid's pilot and tactician, and they worried for their leader like all good men should. But his sound judgement does not change on or off the field. That being said, his friends in the Guardian Force were having one or two worried looks about them, but that was just it, they were friends. They know Karl's skills and limits better than anyone else, and his temperament too, and even though they know Karl was not a reckless, head-over-heels, throw-caution-to-the-wind kind of romantic like his brother, they still worried about him. This was why O'Connell understood this better than anyone else. He was close enough to the Colonel to know him as well as anyone of his friends, but not close enough to be counted as a friend. This was why he could see things so impartially.

If Ren was a danger, there were a million opportunities to kill him while he had been alone with her on his break. If she had been looking to sabotage the Guardian Force, there had been a brilliant opportunity to cripple their forces when she had piloted the Spark Liger out with the Guardian Force's best pilots.

Which brings it all back to the caution everyone openly displayed.

Serenity had been previously confined to quarters, but after her display in battle against the Diablo Tiger she had been allowed to wander around under the strict supervision of a member of the Guardian Force. She was not allowed to walk on the ground level of the hanger where she might glean information from the engineers, too busy to notice a set of eyes wandering curiously over their consoles. However what bothered O'Connell was that his specific orders were to make sure that she was not within twenty meters of the Colonel.

He wondered whether or not this order also extended to the Colonel's younger brother.

They stood there silently for a good minute, Serenity with her eyes fixed solidly to the wall as to dispel any assumptions that she had be even partly interested in the younger brother only moments before.

O'Connell glanced at her, and noticing, to his slight amusement, that she had a childish pout plastered over her face.

"So... how old are you exactly?" O'Connell asked with gleam in his eye.

Serenity looked back with a blank expression.

"Well as far as I understand the current situation is 'barely-legal'"

She did a double take and flushed deep red.

"Of course, I meant your age, not-"

"I'm eighteen!" Serenity spluttered, "and there's no- We didn't- Nothing's-"

A sudden commotion in the hanger below cut her short. An imperial soldier flew through the ground floor doors sprawling as an ashen-haired young man stomped in after him. Soldiers stationed around the area rushed in rifles raised. Raven had apparently broken out of his cell and was very much pissed.

Before anyone could so much as move, Van barrelled in ungracefully, closely followed by Zeke. This was more an explanation as to why Raven was wandering around outside the cells as any.

"Don't shoot don't shoot!" Van's muffled shout came from underneath the silver organoid, whom had tripped up upon Van's unexpected halt and ended up toppling them both.

Raven, not at all phased by the prospect of gun barrels pointing his way, stooped down and grabbed a handful of Van's collar yanking him from under Zeke.

"Tell me where my zoid is! Now!"

Van made an apologetic face, "Calm down Raven. This is not the way to-."

"Van! You have two seconds to tell me where my zoid is!"

Of what Raven would have done to him no one was to find out as at that moment Colonel Schubaltz stepped in from the same hanger door, every way the picture of a figure of authority.

"Unhand Lieutenant Flyheight this instant. Your Geno Breaker is currently under repairs in another hanger and your organoid is in storage." More like tearing up the storage.

Raven paused, a little confused. They were repairing his zoid for him?

Karl made a slight sweeping motion with his hand and all the soldiers lowered their firearms. Maybe now there'll be a bit of calm and civility in proceedings.

"Lieutenant Flyheight, if you will, take Raven to storage Seven for him to reclaim that Organoid." He wanted that destructive pest as far away from the explosives as possible. "Afterwards please lead him to the conference room."

Raven did not protest at the prospect of being reunited with shadow however the latter part of the plan was not to his liking. He'll play along... for now.

As the cheerful Van half-guided half-dragged the sour looking Raven back out of the hanger doors, Karl assessed the wellbeing of the hanger guard. Some men had already stepped in to assist with his nosebleed and now were ordered to take the guard to the infirmary.

He had been quite relieved Raven did not demand to be taken to his Geno Breaker immediately. They had been extracting combat and memory data from the zoid and it would have been rather awkward trying to explain to the fiery young man that this was all for the purpose of studying the Diablo Tiger, though that would have been a half-truth. This was also a golden opportunity to study the Geno breaker as well.

As the crowds dispersed from the area to attend to their previously assigned duties, Karl was left alone to observe the Diablo Tiger. He mutely noted that standing upon the railings above it was a familiar face accompanied by a man he met but rarely talked to. Their eyes met for the briefest moment, her brows furrowed slightly before being turned away by O'Connell and steered out of the hanger.

Karl turned to his brother, who was in the middle of staging a staring contest, with a cloud suspended just beyond the open hanger gates. He wondered for a second if Thomas had even noticed the minor altercation at the doors, and if he hadn't then why his eyes were off the consol.

"Lt. Schubaltz, report."

Thomas snapped out of his daze. It took a moment or two for him to shake whatever he had off, and when he did, he looked at his brother with a most perplexed expression on his face.

Karl wondered if the lack of sleep had finally got to him.

"Hey Karl..." Thomas began, Karl made a disapproving frown for the lack of formality; Thomas ignored it and continued. "The system... take a look at it."

Karl strode over to the consol and glanced at it. It was a complex programming code of sorts. Although he had some training in the field of mechanics and programming, he knew he was no match to some of the hardcore stuff his brother got a kick out of. So he glanced once and didn't even bother trying to understand it.

"What am I supposed to see?"

Thomas opened his mouth but closed it then opened it again, apparently for lack of words. How could he describe what lay before him...

"It's... Beek." He finally struggled out.

Not quite understanding Karl looked again, this time a little more carefully, but still not seeing anything terribly clearly.

"I'm afraid I don't follow."

Thomas jabbed at a line of code on the consol screen.

"This is programming used to code an AI tertiary OS to assess its surroundings and perform functions under certain simulations to its optimum capacity. In other words this is exactly the sort of thing Beek is." Thomas paused, looking a little deflated. "But... that's just it, I invented Beek. I invented him four years ago."

Karl absorbed this information. Beek was Thomas' pride and joy, his most acclaimed achievement. A piece of programming that he claimed could perform in battle better than a pilot could. Karl never agreed with his brother on the subject. A machine could never best a pilot's raw instinct and skill born of years of experience and training. However even he had to appreciate his brother's ingenuity when it came to machines and its ilk. And if he understood what Thomas was trying to tell him...

"But that's not all!" Oh good, more bad news. "Look at this Zoid's memory data! It predates well past my own creation of Beek, hell, it predates my admission to university!"

Karl stared stiffly at the screen. "So what does this mean?"

"It means that dad sold me out!"

Karl's mind spun to a stop. What did he say?

"Do you remember when I was six? When I had first started working on my Beek project?"

Karl vaguely remembered an incident eighteen years back when Thomas took apart the radio and the toaster to create, what he claimed, to be a switch that turned on and off upon assessment of its surroundings based on visual and audio input. To Karl, all Thomas achieved in creating that day was a big mess and their mother had shared his views. She clipped him over the ears for destroying two perfectly good appliances.

"Remember I had used dad's databook for all my projects?"

"No I don't" he replied flatly. "And even if I did why on earth would father show anyone a science project by a child barely out of preschool?"

"But it worked! And he took the data and used it to create this AI."

"Why on earth would you even think that?"

"Because he's registered into the database."

Karl's blood ran cold. What did he just say?

"And not just that!" Thomas ploughed on. He brought up a window on the screen over the lines of jargon. Six photo profiles plastered themselves over the screen, each with only a name a picture and a sound file. The attachment was a recording of different voices sounding out the names they represented. Voice registration, Thomas explained, and there was an almost invisible cache of data attached to their father's profile which seemed to be locked by a pass code that nobody could crack yet.

Scrolling to a stop Karl found the name he was searching for.

"_Niklas Schubaltz"_

Karl paused over the consol as the picture of a man with the all-too-familiar eyes stared back at him, ash-blond hair slicked back in a business-like fashion and wearing a sombre expression that he himself had unknowingly adopted. He had long forgotten what his father had looked like.

"You know... I never realised how much you look and sound like him." Thomas mused, rather sentimentally. "Sort of ironic tha-"

"Lt. Schubaltz. I want you to connect my consol to the Diablo Tiger, and allow me access to its data and archives."

Thomas looked at him confused and slightly hurt his brother cut him off in what was to him a family moment.

"But, you don't even know how to read data scripts-"

"My consol, as soon as possible."

And with that he swept out of the hanger leaving Thomas scratching his head and wondering if it was something he said.

* * *

There was not a lot to be said about the interactions between the Imperial and Republican sections within the Guardian Force. Colonel Herman was a reasonable man with a strong sense of honour and duty, something Karl had learned and appreciated since their first meeting at Red River. The fact he, the leading officer in that Imperial assault, was allowed to parley without incident was a testament to the man's integrity. Since the peace treaty between the two countries, were made, the two Colonels became fast friends, each relying on the other to govern their sections of the military with the same steadfast demeanour they expressed upon their meeting on the battlefield many years before. Through Herman's leadership, his men had proven to be reliable and trustworthy, time and time again, to the point Karl trusted them to commit to their duties faithfully and reliably almost as much as his own men.

Which is why he felt a little confused upon entering his office foyer.

Major O'Connell stood, leaning slightly awkwardly against the windowsill, conversing with the slight figure of Serenity perched on the armrest of a couch. He broke off mid-sentence and straightened up to salute the Colonel paused in the doorway. Without saying a word Karl strode over to his office door and unlocked it and beckoned them to enter.

He slipped around his desk and sat with his finger's latched with a serious business-like expression upon his face. Karl never realised how intimidating he could be without even trying.

O'Connell cleared his throat nervously. "Um, Ahem. The young lady over here claims she has urgent information regarding the attempt on your life." If he was sure of her story he didn't sound it.

Serenity snapped out of her reverie and broke eye contact long enough to pull herself together.

"Karl." She started, unsure of how to begin. "That... man in the hanger earlier. Isn't he Raven?"

"He is." Karl stated calmly. If she had been one of his soldiers he would have reprimanded her for asking a question when she should have been giving an answer.

"Karl!" She leant forward, brow furrowed. "He's here to kill you!"

Karl's eyes widened slightly at this, which was only a mild representation of the heavy feeling of dread settling at the pit of his stomach.

"What are you basing this accusation on?" Karl demanded.

Serenity recoiled slightly, "Th-the mission was first offered and rejected by Raven." That was why the mercenary group had taken it in the first place. The prestige of being able to take down a target that even Raven couldn't or wouldn't accept would be a near legendary title to have.

Karl's eyes softened a little and if Serenity didn't know better she could have sworn he silently sighed with relief.

"I mean, why else would he be there? You can't tell me that he just happened to have been in the area, playing tag with the Diablo Tiger?"

Karl nodded in acknowledgement.

"I thank you for the information you've brought me." He said in a very formal tone, "we shall look into this matter immediately."

Seeming to catch the hint that she was being dismissed, Serenity hesitated. She looked as if she had something more to say but clenched her jaw tight and without another word, threw open the door strode briskly out of the office. O'Connell shot Karl an apologetic look and followed her out, closing the door a little more gently behind him.

Upon hearing the click of the door latching into place Karl removed his hat and combed his fingers through his hair. Heaving a great sign he allowed the weariness of the last couple of days to finally wash over him. Serenity had been upset by his demeanour, even with his lack of social graces he could tell that much. But what had she expected of him really? He could ill afford to act unprofessional with a witness in the vicinity.

Leaning back with his eyes closed, Karl mulled over the jumble in his head. His encounter with Serenity unsettled him greatly, and in addition to the problems he already had on his platter, this was a complication he did not need. He has never been so rattled by anyone before, if he didn't know any better he'd think he was infatuated. But how could that be? She's too young, too naive, and a little bit dangerous. The most unreasonable person for him to be interested in.

Karl's brow furrowed as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

_Focus !Focus! Focus!_

Raven. Her information about Raven. He must contact Van straight away to have Raven taken to the interrogation room. If things go well they could very well have a new lead into the attempted-assassination case.

And a new headache on top of the Diablo Tiger.

His eyes snapped open and fell upon the consol built into his desk. He had almost forgotten about the data he asked Thomas to send. With almost Thomas-like speed, Karl's fingers darted over the consol keys, opening the file that had been received moments before, while he was still distracted. Photos and files filled the screen, along with the long scripts of computer technicals. Karl tore open his drawers almost tipping the contents in his eagerness to find his father's book.

Throwing open the journal non-too-gently, Karl flipped to the page held by a red marker he placed there previously. Using his right index finger to underline the words as his left hand flew across his consol keys typing words into a small plain boxed section that hovered in front of his father's profile. The words he tried were the arbitrary Latin words scrawled underneath 'Diablo,' first in Latin, then in English. And each time he was rejected with a [User denied] plastered across the screen. What user? He was typing a pass code, not a username.

Bringing his eyes up to the profile photos, Karl's eyes hovered over his father's visage, his green eyes staring solemnly back at Karl's.  
"What are you trying to tell me?" Karl murmured, unsurprisingly the photo did not answer.

Absentmindedly he clicked on the sound profile button underneath the photograph, playing his father's voice, over and over again.

"Niklas Schubaltz" the digital recording stated. Voice sounding both familiar and foreign at the same time. Thomas had said their father sounds a lot like Karl, which makes him wonder, like all who hear recordings of themselves. _Do I really sound like that?_

Then it struck him.

The AI system of the Diablo was based on voice recognition so why would the pass not also be locked as thus.

Unhooking the microphone from the side of the consol he cleared his throat, unsure as to how this would work and what he was supposed to say. He usually used this consol and microphone as a means for radio contact. Apart from bringing up the radio frequency and communicating through that, Karl was not so sure of the mechanics behind the microphone. Did he need a program to input his voice?

Feeling a little self conscious, Karl pressed down on the hold button and spoke into it, mimicking the sound profile he heard. "Niklas Schubaltz." It did not respond.

He held the microphone to the speakers and played the recording, still it would not respond.

He started repeating the words he had typed before, with similar results.

With a sigh he made one last try, simply by stating his name. "Karl Schubaltz."

The system paused.

Karl started, then held his breath.

Then, almost instantly a green [Access granted] flashed across the screen. Karl's first reaction was shock, why was the password _his _name? His next reaction was elation, as a mystery that plagued him for three years seems to be finally unravelling itself.

And last, was confusion, as the only thing that loaded onto the screen, was a nine digit number separated in three neat segments.


	12. Revelations

SPOILER ALERT! DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED DEVIL'S MAZE!

To those reading this chapter, some may notice that I used the American version of Zoids rather than the Japanese. If I had the chance I would gladly watch the Japanese, the official and uncensored version, instead of the watered down American version. If anyone wants to know the difference I highly recommend them to read the zoid wiki on the episode of the Devil's Maze, more specifically the Trivia section. The Japanese version just seems so much more compelling however you look at it.

My mistake, the trip didn't take half as long as I feared. I'm going to post the chapter on time!

Thank you to Arwigirl for being the first reviewer last week. I actually never considered this chapter a cliff-hanger... maybe it's because I'm a huge fan of them and like to use them excessively :3 If you thought that was a cliff-hanger you're in for a treat, we're coming up to the part in my fiction which I like to call the "cliff-hanger cascade."

To animeazngal: I hope this is going somewhere really really good too. I hope you guys like the climax I'm building to :D And to Ren... well... read and find out ;D

To randomcat23: Thank you for the typo check! The mystery shall be revealed shortly, well some of it... lol.

**The title picture** **I drew for this fanfic is linked on my profile page**. Please take a look for a visual on Ren and the Diablo Tiger.

Disclaimer: I do not own Zoids or any of the characters in relation.

Thanks to DuskStarDragon, Darkrad and Darkened-Storm for Beta-ing my work. Thank you D3! You sunk my battleship!

Darkened-Storm's fic is Zoids: Rebirth Century, another fic based around a failed assassination attempt lol.

DuskStarDragon's fic is A Bounty hunter's Gentleman, another Karl fic.

* * *

Affinity

Chapter 12: Revelations

Karl could have kicked himself for his lack of foresight. It never occurred to him, that what he had done on his consol could very well be projected through to the consol in the Diablo Tiger, and when that happened, every engineer in the hanger knew. By the time Karl got himself down to the hanger, they had already pin pointed the source of origin.

"Karl!" Thomas called as soon as he spotted his brother. "What did you do?"

Karl stood there with his mouth slightly agape, unable to connect with what Thomas meant, until he saw the nine digit number plastered across the engineer's consol screen.

He blanched as the full implications hit him. His brother now knew, as did just about everyone in this hanger, and chances are, everyone in the base in a matter of time. Since finding out that there had been a chance that Raven could have been the very one to face him down in the desert, he had sobered him up to the realization of how lucky he really was to be still alive. It also woke him up to the grave implications of the seriousness the threat was to not just him, but to all that were involved.

Slowly he turned back to Thomas, and paused, his mind ran through the possibilities.

"Lieutenant Schubaltz. Is there any chance of restricting leaks?"

Thomas thought about this for a second then shook his head. "I'm afraid I cannot guarantee that only the engineers saw this."

"Then hence forth there shall be a gag order upon the entire base. Inform Colonel Herman and relay this to the officers. No information gets in or out without my knowledge." Karl paused, as if struggling with a decision, then finally said. "Also, when you're done, come to my office."

With a steely look, Karl silenced any questions Thomas might have had and rushed him on his way.

Karl was by no means clever with technology and despite all his intelligence and tactical brilliance, he only had a tenth grade general education on top of his military one. Even so, he always topped his class no matter what the subject and certain that given enough time he could figure out the mystery set before him. However, things have now changed drastically. It was a matter of time before this piece of what Karl felt was vital information would be leaked out to unfriendly ears. Were his enemies seeking to silence him or obtain these secrets? Either way, if they wanted him dead before, they'd certainly want him dead now, with added urgency.

Hope now lay with the possibility of understanding why he was being hunted. He never wanted to commit Thomas to this, but he can see no other way. Not just for his own life, but for Thomas' as well.

The moment Thomas saw those numbers on the screen, and traced it back to him, was the moment that Thomas became involved with this case. Karl felt certain, that if he were to die now, Thomas would end up in the exact position Karl was in four years ago. Only this time, he would begin his investigations with their enemies already fully aware that he was a threat. Even if Thomas doesn't take up the mantle, there is almost no possibility that after eliminating Karl, that they would leave the youngest and smartest alive. After all, Thomas really was a bright spark. He knew computers and machines like the doctor knows the human body, better even. However he wasn't just limited to this area of knowledge. Thomas finished high school with some of the highest grades in the empire. So good in fact, the empire was jumping at the chance to buy him with a military scholarship for computing and engineering, and he didn't fail to disappoint. Before he even graduated Thomas had invented Beek, among other achievements that Karl could not list, for he had always been too busy to take an active interest in his younger brother. However, due to the nature of military scholarships, the moment Thomas graduated, he was automatically enlisted into the army under the rank of first lieutenant and was to serve for nine years as an engineering officer, and if he stayed in that position he would possibly have never met Karl professionally. Thomas was, however, not one to be "just substantial" and through brilliance, stubbornness and a need to prove himself, he got himself nominated and accepted into the ranks of the Guardian Force, and hence right under Karl's jurisdiction.

Their first meeting since the death of their mother had just been just over two years ago. Thomas, fresh faced and eager had greeted Karl like a brother and was harshly reprimanded in front of all the soldiers. Karl hated the idea of Thomas becoming a soldier. He hated the idea of sending him on dangerous missions even more. More so to the fact that Karl had participated in a terrible and pointless war, he had more than enough experience sending men to their deaths and ordering the deaths of others, many of whom would have been friends of his republic acquaintances. Thomas had been spared such things since he was enlisted after the war's end and had only experienced times of peace and improving relations between the two countries. Karl had hoped that Thomas would be forever spared from battle and the deaths that it entailed. Thomas, the kind and innocent little brother of Karl's, how could he cope with the weight on his conscience like that which war had left on Karl. He couldn't, not as he was, and when Karl failed to block the motion of Thomas' admittance, he endeavoured to drill him into becoming a good soldier, not just for preserving his life, but for preserving his soul.

It was inevitable that Thomas would find out that Karl had been the only one to oppose his promotion into the Guardian Force and had confronted him about it. That day Karl glared angrily as Thomas shouted at him in his office like he had every right to do so, demanding Karl to explain himself. How could Thomas not see it? He lacked discipline and foresight, he was naive and bull headed, he relied overly much on machines that had proven time and time again that they are nowhere as reliable as human instinct. He was not a good officer or a good soldier, and Karl had told him so. Since then Thomas had always slated it down to the idea that Karl could not acknowledge his worth and Karl endeavoured to treat him like any other soldier.

But things have changed.

About two years ago, Thomas was put into a position of making a terrible choice, and Karl himself was the instigator. Karl had been careless and gotten himself captured and through hours of mental torture his mind was finally broken. The perpetrators had planned on causing an explosion in a weapons disarmament base, detonating the two-hundred mega tonnes of explosives stored within and had planned to use Karl and his Iron Kong a guard dog.

It was either by divine guidance or cruel fate that lead Thomas to be the one to be selected for the operation, and to be the one to have to face Karl.

In that short and furious battle, Karl had never lost the advantage over his younger brother, even under the control of another he was the superior pilot. He had very almost been the one to end Thomas that day if not for the quick acting of other individuals. Upon what could have been the final blow, Karl finally regained his senses. He had a moment to realise what he had almost done with his own hands before the fiend who had lost control of him, took control of his zoid. He was about to witness the murder of his younger brother. There he made a decision that was no decision at all. If ever there was a time Thomas could be a dependable soldier, Karl had been glad it was then. He ordered Thomas to fire upon and destroy the Kong, while he was still inside. Without another word, his brother had levelled the cannons at him, and in a moment of heavy regret and fierce pride Karl acknowledged him. When it mattered most, he was a good soldier.

Even to this day, he could not imagine how he could have coped if his brother had not obeyed his orders and ended up dying. Much of the responsibility for his death would have been placed squarely upon Karl's own shoulders, if not by the court martial, then by himself. Then on the flip side, how could Thomas have coped if he had followed Karl's orders to the letter and killed him? This was not something the war-hardened Karl could have lived with, and in hindsight, he very much doubted Thomas could have coped any better than he. It was that day he acknowledged that Thomas was a dutiful soldier as well as brilliantly clever. For without harming Karl, Thomas had singlehandedly brought the Iron Kong to a halt by piecing the chest armour with his Dibison horn and severing a vital power cable connecting the core to the rest of the Kong. Due to Thomas' quick thinking there had been no losses that day and neither one of the brothers had to live with the guilt of being responsible for the death of the other. Had their positions been reversed, there was little chance that there could have been a happy ending.

It was with this painful thought in mind, that Karl received Thomas in his office.

Thomas strode in and saluted in an uncharacteristically formal way and proceeded to inform Karl of how the entire base has been placed under gag orders and the information routes were now being strictly monitored.

Karl nodded and slowly took out a black book from his drawer.

"Lt. Schubaltz, I trust you realise that I have something grave to discuss with you, and that you are not to speak of this to anyone else."

Thomas nodded, a little grey in the face at the tone of Karl's voice.

Karl tipped the black journal open. "Very well, then let's begin."

* * *

"I don't think they're coordinates, for one thing coordinates are six digits separated into groups of three."

Thomas had listened quietly for a majority of Karl's explanation, only punctuating it with a few questions and requests for elaborations. Only towards the end when Karl had began to explain the coding system he's been figuring out and how he had thought the nine digit number he got out of the Diablo Tiger was most likely coordinates did Thomas add his two cents.

Karl rubbed his temple feeling like Thomas was talking to him like he was an idiot.

"Of course I know that... I can read maps."

Thomas looked perplexed for a moment, "Umm Karl... left to right and down to up, that's how you read a map."

"I know that..." Had Karl been less disciplined he'd be rolling his eyes. "But logically speaking, if you were to add another set of coordinates, what would the third one indicate?"

"Well... the Z axis of course." Thomas mused, but quickly added. "With holo maps, that's still kind a pointless-"

"Yes, I agree, however did you know before the invention of three dimensional map generators they had used a three to three to three coordinate marker for military usage rather than the topographic maps? This was from a time before your induction into the military, before you were even born. This used to be used to indicate the exact height of a target fortress zoid approximate to the ground, it was harder to visualise back then without projectors. I do not think what we're looking for is a base on a flying zoid so it brings me to another conclusion, the entrance lies in a mountain, in an exact point in the mountain that would otherwise have otherwise been missed." Karl brought up a map of the region on his consol and zoomed in on a mountain range that snaked east and south, touching on the borders of the empire and the republic and sticking conspicuously out of a large section of desert.

"Take a look, the point falls just at the north side of the one of the mountains in the Blare Ridge ranges, and if we ignore the last two coordinates, this point is fairly close to the peak. But if we factor it in, we can work out that the point of interest is in actuality closer to the ground, and more specifically, right inside the stones of the mountain."

Thomas took a good long look and remained sceptical. "How do you figure this is what it means, and not, let's say, instructions on how to read the book?"

Karl shook his head. "Don't think I haven't considered that, and had these coordinates led me to a place not so coincidental, I would have thought the same way."

Zooming out of the mountain ranges again Karl highlighted a desert region just north west of the mountains in question.

"This is where the Diablo Tiger originated from. You can't tell me that's coincidence."

Thomas quietly digested this, this time in a much more thoughtful manner. With a slight sigh and smile, he acknowledged, "it's much more probable when you put it that way."

After a few moments his smile vanished as an after though struck him, and he slowly locked eyes with Karl.

"But if you figured this much out for yourself, why did you need me?"

Karl grimaced; Thomas was a bright spark alright.

"Because, henceforth I leave this investigation in your hands. While I'm still alive, they will believe that I would conduct this investigation personally, and thus giving you some time to research unmolested."

"Karl..." Thomas began, aghast. "You're speaking as if you're really considering the possibility that you'll die."

Karl smiled sadly. "If I keep at it at my pace, I really will."

_And so will you..._

_

* * *

_

Within a few minutes, it became clear that Raven was going to be his usual self. Uncooperative. Karl stood on the other side of a one way mirror, watching as Van attempted to reason with the unreasonable man.

Karl remembered all too well that two years ago he had been the one to sit across from the very same man, questioning him over a possible threat developing in a fluorescent cacoon. Considering how well his own interrogation techniques worked he couldn't really fault Lt. Flyheight.

"Come on Raven! Pleeeeeeease?"

Van gave his best puppy dog eyes to which Raven responded with a scathing look.

Karl sighed and rubbed his temples, maybe he should have gotten Thomas to do it instead. He had hoped that Van's strange friendship with the moody teenager would get them somewhere. However half an hour into the session Van hadn't even been able worm out of Raven why he was out there in the first place. It was highly doubtful that piece of information could be useful since it was most likely Raven was just going on his usual anti-zoid rampage, however it does set a bad precedent to the entire state of affairs.

"Come on!" Van was getting a little heated up now. "I'm just asking you why you were out there! It's not like I'm asking you to leak national secrets or anything!"

Karl shook his head, they were getting nowhere fast.

"Lieutenant Schubaltz, go in and take over for Lieutenant Flyheight."

Things were beginning to get out of hand when Thomas entered the room. Van was red in the face and in the middle of comparing Raven's stubbornness with that of various old and unreliable republican zoid models. Raven just slouched back in his chair sneering, egging Van on.

Thomas cleared his throat loudly in a failed attempt at reining in the one sided eruption.

He slammed his hands down dramatically surprising Van, who had not yet noticed that there was someone else in the room, into silence.

"Van, I'm going to take over for now."

Van protested heatedly and refused to leave the room but before Thomas could raise his voice Raven finally spoke.

"So how many of you clowns does it take to ask questions? And here I thought you were meant to be elites, my mistake."

Thomas paused and took a deep breath. He was not going to allow Raven or Van provoke him today, things were going to work his way for a change.

"Right, well then let us get right to it." Thomas began, fired up. "We don't really care why you got involved last night, and frankly, we have a pretty good idea as to why. No, what we're interested is the details of when you were approached with a contract on a 'Colonel Karl Lichten Schubaltz'."

Ravens eyebrows rose at that.

"We know you had been contacted, don't even deny it!" Thomas rattled on hotly. "In fact we've got witnesses and everything! So-"

A black and white photograph slid across the table. It was a creased Polaroid version of a news paper photograph, dating back to recent post-war imperia, commemorating a great imperial hero who fought valiantly to protect their glorious capital from a monstrous juggernaut of a zoid. [Karl Lichten Schubaltz-] The captions stated [Hero to the nation and inspiration to us all] underlining a glamour shot of a younger and more cheerful Karl, suited in full ceremonial uniform, decorated in medals and saluting confidently, eyes staring off into the distance.

Thomas picked this photograph up slowly, not quite understanding the implications of the piece. He glanced over at Raven who had since adopted a bored expression. Thomas eyes slid back at the picture he held in his hand and slowly turned it over.

He gasped and almost dropped it.

On the back, printed in impeccably neat handwriting was a sum of money that exceeds that of Thomas' salary for ten years combined.

He was definitely not showing this to Irvine.

Dropping the photo back onto the table he turned back to Raven.

"This doesn't tell me anything!"

Raven stared at Thomas like he was an idiot.

"And here I thought you'd be grateful."

"For what?"

Raven sneered, and spoke, careful to clearly articulate every word patronisingly slowly.

"For. Sparing. Him." And with an infuriating smirk he added, "He wouldn't have been very interesting to hunt anyway."

Thomas bit back an angry retort; this was not the time, when Raven finally felt like being talkative.

"Well now that you've admitted your involvement, I would like you to give us a name and place and any details you may recall of the person who contacted you."

Raven's apparent good humour fled from his face to be replaced with disbelief.

"You mean you don't know?" and threw his head back laughing. It was absolutely ridiculous.

"Explain yourself!" Thomas demanded, uncertain to what set him off.

Raven settled down, sneering in a more self-superior way than ever.

"Why don't you ask the girl I saw in the hanger? She seemed all too eager to take the contract after I left."

* * *

Karl stared at the young mercenary sitting across the desk from him. If he was feeling shocked and betrayed he didn't let it show.

Thomas objected verbosely to letting Karl question Serenity alone after Raven's startling revelation. They had all assumed by this point that she was a rather inconsequential part of her group. Although it made relatively little difference in the long run, hearing that she had been the one to deal with the contractor had everyone's nerves on edge.

Karl had to find out, and he had to do it himself.

So with an agreement of compromise, Serenity was searched for concealed weapons and allowed into Karl's office.

After a few moments Serenity finally broke the silence. She had just been arrested while in the company of O'Connell and had no idea what this was about.

"So... are you going to tell me why you're pulling such a sour face?" Had Karl not been so observant, he would have missed the slight tremor of misgiving in her voice.

"Very well then..."Karl reached to a folder containing documents. "I have here a witness testimony in regards to your involvement in the assassination plot."

"Umm... Karl... I thought you already knew that?"

"Yes, I knew of your involvement, but the significance of this testimony is it identified you as to personally dealing with the contractor. Do you acknowledge this allegation?"

The colour drained out of Serenity's face, speaking for itself.

"... It's not so much the fact that you personally took the contract that bothers me... it's that you knew, very well the details and location of where this transaction occurred and you did not come forward with this information." A hint of anger flashed within Karl's eyes.

"Karl I -"

"You withheld information that could have been useful weeks ago, when it would still have been possible to track this man."

"But I -"

"I trusted you, and you wouldn't even give me the information that could save my life!"

"I tried to!" Serenity huffed, struggling with her words, "I've been trying since I met you again, I tried to just this morning! But... You-.." She struggled momentarily with a loss of words "You weren't listening to me!" she ended, feeling like she didn't quite convey what she actually meant.

A silence fell between them; Serenity could not lift her eyes to meet Karl's.

"Okay..." Karl slipped another piece of paper from the binder and slid it towards Serenity. "Then I want you to write an official confession and the name and description of your contact as well as address of your his last known location."

He placed a pen in front of her, she didn't even look up.

"Know this Serenity... as the current situation stands, I'm able to negotiate your immediate release in exchange for your cooperation..."

Serenity's eyes snapped up, finally making contact with Karl's.

"You're letting me go? For a written confession that you can no longer verify?"

Karl nodded, "This is one last thing I will do for you. You will write what you will on that piece of paper, and leave immediately. I have prepared a ride that will take you back to Guygalos. From there you will have to find your own transport from the city boundaries."

Serenity's eyes dropped to the paper, bearing the imperial crest, sitting in front of her. Her hand moved over the pen. She slowly picked it up and put tip to paper.

"I'll leave... I'll not come back."

"... I think... that would be for the best..."

With that Karl's eyes finally dropped as sadness finally touched on his features.

As she signed her name under her three lines of written text, she glanced at Karl. His face bore none of the hurt he felt, but he could not keep it from his eyes. He would not look at her, but she could see, the depth of the betrayal he felt within his deep mint eyes.

She placed the pen down on the confession and slid both of them back to Karl.

Without another word she got up from her seat and headed towards the door.

As she put her hand on the handle she turned back and whispered. "I meant what I said. I love you." And with that she walked out of the room, and into the waiting company of her escort.

Karl sat mutely, eyes hovering over the paper that carried hollow meaningless words. Her parting words were the only words exchanged this day that had found any anchorage within his mind. Because he realised now, for all the honesty he had demanded, never once had he been honest with her. And now he'll never get the chance.


	13. Sunset

Happy Halloween for last week! I completely forgot about that. I couldn't seem to remember the date of Halloween... I blame the fact that Simpsons Halloween special is shown all year round.

Thank you to animeazngal for the first review. Poor Karl indeed... past present and future ;D (Foreshadowing of things to come?)

To Darkened-Storm: I love this chapter too! Even though I hate writing romance I love writing tragedy! =D Misery and suffering makes me happy!

To Arwigirl: I'm glad Raven's in character, I haaaaate OoCness. However a cocky reformed sociopath is fun to write =D Happy Halloween to you too.

To randomcat23: Thank you for the grammar check, I'm so careless! I swear I proofread each chap at least 5 times! I like Karl and Thomas' brotherly love too, they have such an interesting relationship. I'm glad you enjoyed the Karl x Serenity part of the chapter, I enjoyed writing it =D I love tragedy! Which kinda makes you think... will I really fix it before the end? :3

To tickleback: D'awww wasn't quite the reaction I was going for but I'm glad you like it :D

Zomgosh! Yay! I've made it over 40 reviews! *does the happy vodka dance*

**The title picture** **I drew for this fanfic is linked on my profile page**. Please take a look for a visual on Ren and the Diablo Tiger.

Disclaimer: I do not own Zoids or any of the characters in relation.

Thanks to DuskStarDragon, Darkrad and Darkened-Storm for Beta-ing my work. Thank you the 3Ds! I'm buying one next year!

Darkened-Storm's fic is Zoids: Rebirth Century, another fic based around a failed assassination attempt lol.

DuskStarDragon's fic is A Bounty hunter's Gentleman, another Karl fic.

* * *

Affinity

Chapter 13: Sunset

"Lieutenant Adler's squadron reported back, they raided the facility as you ordered. They encountered nobody by those written descriptions."

"And what of Lieutenant Braun?"

"He has yet to report back."

"Very well, keep me informed."

With a buzz Karl switched the communications channel back from official to private. Flexing his fingers he carefully eased a sliding dial down. The cockpit in where he sat lit up and the machinery around him hummed to life.

"Easy there Karl!" Cautioned the earpiece strapped to the right side of his head. "Anything act up and I want you to switch the restraining bolt back on."

"Use my title Lieutenant!" Karl ordered as he booted up the control system.

"... Colonel Schubaltz, make sure you have live feed turned on. We'll keep an eye on the system. Make sure to stay only in the area indicated and at the slightest hitch, turn the restraining bolt straight back on. We don't want it running off with you inside."

"Understood." Karl adjusted the awkward earpiece into a more comfortable position. It latched on behind his ear and over covering it, then extended across his cheek to rest near his mouth. This device's function was not just to keep him in touch with the scientists who are keeping an eye on his progress, but also for him to, as Thomas had put it 'talk to the machine'.

Well he hoped it was listening.

"Respond." He ordered into the microphone as he eyed the three screen consol in front of him.

With a confirmatory bleep, the screen flared to life, boldly displaying its name across the main screen.

[Diablo Tiger]

Karl fitted his palms around the control thrusters, hooking his thumbs around below the boost button and gently resting his index fingers on the trigger.

"Ready for the first test run."

* * *

A drink was passed to Karl as he descended from the Diablo Tiger stepping into the late afternoon sun. He peered around warily, not quite feeling all there.

Engineers and scientists swarmed around the canyon site that had been set up as a temporary outdoor control centre.

Karl's test run had been highly uneventful, so therefore very successful. The restraining bolt, an electro-magnetic interference device that disabled generator systems fitted around the zoid's torso like a ring, was switched back on. The zoid stood immobile as engineers climbed into the cockpit to collect the data-cache they set up previously.

Karl sipped his slightly sweet water slowly as his eyes wandered to the mid-frame of the main chassis, noting with a hint of awe at how well it was repaired. Merely the night before, the body had been horribly mangled in its brief and violent tussle with Raven, yet as he scanned the chassis he could pick no fault upon its pristine surface. Had this been the work of his mechanics he would have chalked them all down for commendations on their skill and efficiency, however, that was not the case. The zoid spent its day nowhere near maintenance; in fact until Doctor D raised the alarm nobody had even paid the chassis any attention. In the span of twelve hours it had somehow inexplicably repaired itself.

Stepping into the shade of a temporary gazebo, Karl approached a team of scientists headed by Doctor D.

"Any findings to report?" Karl asked as he removed his hat and ran his fingers through his sweaty hair. The afternoon heat was unbelievable, after all his night escapades he was beginning to forget how hot the day was. After spending an hour in a stuffy cockpit he felt like he was baked to medium rare. He made a promise to himself to find the climate controls in the next test run.

A scientist detached himself from the group to greet the Colonel.

"Nothing out of the ordinary sir. The zoid responds very well to your vocal commands as well your piloting."

"Which is why we're going to have a little fun," proclaimed a grinning Doctor D as he emerged from behind the portable consol screen.

"What do you have in mind?" Karl asked with a slightly raised eyebrow. Doctor D's idea of "fun" was not exactly deadly, but it does entail chance of producing horrible injuries.

The good doctor grinned and turned around the screen he was working on. On it was displayed the Ariona cliff labyrinth section where they currently were. This area was picked as the best place to run field tests for the same reason it was picked as the ambush site. To the edge of the map was displayed three Molga zoids marked as "objective."

"So... weapons testing next round?" Karl asked hesitantly, with Doctor D it's rarely that simple.

He was right.

"Weapons testing on targets emitting a distress signal!" Doctor D exclaimed excitedly, grinning from ear to ear. "Let's see what makes it go nuts!"

Karl thought for a moment, before sounding an agreement. "I can see the merit in such tests; however we have to make arrangements for better safety for staff."

"Oh not a problem. We've already made arrangements for you to do the run in an area ten kilometres to the east of this testing site. There'll be a good separation of stone between us and you."

"Very well, have the targets set up and get the transporters take the Diablo there."

"Already done."

Karl did a double take and glanced back. The zoid he had been admiring just moments before was no longer there. In the sand where it had sat were Gustav track impressions leading away through the maze of cliffs.

Karl shook his head disapprovingly. Sure they work fast, but they should have at least informed the officer in charge.

* * *

"Schubaltz! You comfy in there?" came the voice of Van's through the communicator. Karl flinched and adjusted the volume.

"Yes I'm fine." he replied as he lowered the restraint bar, latching himself in place.

Glancing up at the cliff top he noted the positions of Van and Thomas. Each had an Eleshot-cannon mounted on their zoids and each one aimed at him. Their purpose was to ensure that if the Diablo goes out of control they would disable it by shooting at it with a magnetic bullet that embeds and latches into the zoid while discharging a burst of high voltage. It's comparable to the Spark liger unit but with the main difference being it operates on a remote battery unit, meaning it only has two second burst-life after it's fired. Ordinarily it would not affect a zoid with a high generator output like the Diablo Tiger however since it had the restraining bolt attached to his chassis the Eleshot could engage the bolt and use it to amplify its effects. It was by no means reliable and they hoped to avoid the need.

The zoid slowly hummed to life as Karl shut down the restraining bolt. Running through the loading procedures with more confidence, he turned his focus on the consol in front of him.

"I notice you're messing with the controls? Why?" inquired Doctor D's voice through the ear piece.

"I'm trying to find some air conditioning," Karl replied. "I'm being slow baked in here."

[Climate control initiated; please enter desired temperature]

Karl blinked as those words plastered themselves over the screen; he saw no option to enter any numbers.

"Hmmm... Seems it responded to your voice command," mused the doctor.

If that's the case...

"Twenty eight degrees Celsius."

With an almost tangible relief, the temperature dropped over ten degrees almost instantly.

Getting back to business Karl brought up tracking radar on one of the side screens and a weapons display on the other, he noted the cannons were non-functional. That can't be right, could it? Was it a programming error in the combat coding? Or was the weapon malfunctioning? Either way he'll get an engineer to look at it.

Scanning the radar he picked up five zoids in the vicinity. He registered the furthest two as the Blade Liger and the Dibison, nervously tracking him with the Eleshot. The other three, positioned right in front of him were old Molga units coming to their day of decommission in a spectacular fashion.

"Ready," Karl said as he unpacked the forward controls. "Turn on the beacons."

As the registered blips on the radar began emitting a distress signal, the entire frame of the zoid shuddered. Large red crosshairs flew up onto the electronic display windows; each highlighting the offending zoids, however, along with the Mulgas, the Dibison and Blade Liger were also targeted.

On the main screen came the display [Objectives sighted] and the tiger yowled at the stationary Molgas.

[Autopilot initiated]

Before Karl could get a firm grip on the controls the zoid bounded forward with incredible speed, dispatching all three Mulga units in the span of a few seconds. Pieces of their cores were littered across the floor. The signals immediately shut off upon the destruction of the zoids and the targeting crosshairs disappeared from Van and Thomas. The radar screen bleeped and changed, no longer tracking zoids, but tracking for objects of miniature stature.

It suddenly reacted. An object of about human size was detected on the cliffs above. Karl almost swore as the Diablo tiger proceeded to climb the steep cliffs with unnatural ease.

"Stop! Stop!" Karl desperately ordered as he gripped and pulled hard on the thrusters. He realized turning on the restraining bolt at this height and angle could very well result in the serious injury wished to avoid.

To his surprise, and immense relief the tiger responded. It froze three quarters of its way up the cliff, its claws embedded in the rock wall, creating riveting furrows as gravity pulled it slowly back to earth.

[Manual control initiated]

With an inaudible sigh, Karl made the claws release its anchorage, allowing it to slide gracefully down the almost vertical drop.

"What went wrong? I was about to shoot!" came the panicked voice of Thomas through the com.

"Yeah what gives Schubaltz?"

"I don't know, it detected something of human size moving up where you two were and this was its response to it."

"... It tried to get Zeke?"

Oh that's right... The Organoid. Karl had been momentarily confused as to who it was that irresponsibly stepped out of their Zoid in the middle of a critical test.

"So the question is..." mused Doctor D who had been eavesdropping, "is its primary function for the hunting of Organoids? Or is it supposed to chase the pilots who desert their zoids? hmmmm..."

An Organoid is a small artificially intelligent and self aware mechanical organism about the size of a human. Their function is to enhance the power of regular zoids and to do so they phase through the armour of a zoid to gain access to the zoid core. Once they envelope the core they would enhance the zoid's capabilities through the modification of its weaponry, targeting module or even allow the organic metal of the armour to self repair.

Karl thought back on all the previous victims of the Diablo Tiger and then looked back at the wreckage of the Molgas. Zoid cores crushed, that can't be a coincidence.

"I believe you might be onto something Doctor," Karl acknowledged. "Can you compare this to the frequency of the pulse emitted upon the fusion of an Organoid to a Zoid?"

"Oho! Now you're thinking like a scientist!"

A flash of light bleached over the ridge of the cliff top. Karl kept an eye on the radar expecting a similar response, however...

"Nothing, it didn't register."

"Hmmm" Doctor D mused, "Well we did get a reading on our equipment, but it's on a different bandwidth to the distress signal."

"So our assumption is wrong?"

"Not at all, we've just proven that Van's Organoid indeed emits a pulse of some description but can't trigger the tiger. What about other Organoids?"

Karl thought about it before responding. "There's no way we can test that."

"What about Raven?"

"That's what I meant."

"... Very well, I can see your point. Pack it up and head on back. That's enough for today. You're so exhausted I can see your blood pressure dropping."

Karl sighed and switched on the restraining bolt. He was exhausted enough to forget he was the one who was meant to order the pack up.

As he opened the hatch, a rush of warm air surged in, the sun was setting and it was still stifling hot. Give it another hour and the temperature would drop to freezing. Karl shifted in his seat and stretched the kinks out of his back; he had been unbelievably tense for the last hour. The Blade Liger and Dibison stood guard atop the cliff tops, keeping him company until Moonbay brought the Gustav over to pick the Diablo Tiger up. Last time when they moved the Tiger they forgot to wait for him to get into the Gustav, so he had to get one of his soldiers take him down in the Jeep.

As he leant back in his seat, he finally realized how tired he really was. Doctor D wasn't kidding about the blood pressure he thought as a wave of dizziness hit him, but of course they had been monitoring his vital signs. He spared another glance up at the two standing guard, Thomas and Van must be in just as poor condition as he was. He was at least thankful that he was too exhausted to think too deeply about the day's event. That was the last thing to pass through his mind before closing his eyes and dozing off.

* * *

"... stone cold. I must say, there must be a first for everything."

"...Mmmhuh?" Karl awoke with a start only to find himself face to face with an overly amused Moonbay.

"Hello sleepy head," said Moonbay with a smirk with obvious enjoyment at catching out the stoic Colonel. "Think you've got enough energy to drag yourself back to your room?"

Karl took a moment to get his bearings and noticed that he was still sitting in the cockpit of the Diablo Tiger, only now, he was no longer in Ariona Chasm, but back in base. They had transported the zoid with him inside it all the way back without ever waking him up. In front of him stood a smirking Moonbay and Doctor D, holding a cup of strange smelling coffee, tapping his foot, impatient to gain access to the cockpit.

Karl flushed crimson and exited from the Diablo Tiger to the embarking platform and made a break for the open hallway. Thankfully most of the engineers were so focused on their work that they paid him no heed.

"Goodnight sleepyhead, sweet dreams!" Moonbay called after him, loud enough for the entire hanger to hear. Karl could have died of embarrassment right there.

* * *

Upon reaching the turn off to the Officer's quarters, Karl took the other path despite almost keeling over in exhaustion, and headed for his office instead. He had to read the reports sent in by Lieutenant Adler.

Just before he left for Ariona Chasm, he had ordered investigations to head out. One squad was lead by Lieutenant Adler who was to investigate a bar located in a remote mountain-top Republican town near the Imperial-Republic boarder for any new leads on the attempt on Karl's life, with Republican permission of course. He was to look for a man with long black hair and a light beard who sported a green clan tattoo in the shape of a crescent tick under his right eye. The first report Karl received was when he had been prepping for Diablo Tiger's initial motility test told him that there was no one of that description in that bar when the military police raided it. He figured as much. No one in their right mind would stay in the same place after their plot fails so horribly. Of course this is considering if the written statement was true.

Karl mentally slapped himself, of course it's true. Why would she lie?

The second thing on his agenda was in regards to the six pilots registered in the Diablo Tiger, three of which might still be alive. He had tasked this to Lieutenant Braun who began his search by trawling through imperial databases for the unidentified five pilots. Profiling had stated that at least two of the five, (Or three of the six, if you count Niklas Schubaltz) had been some of the empire's greatest pilots of that era. Of the aces all had since deceased, each under various suspicious circumstances. Of the other three, one had been a rather non-outstanding imperial soldier who had since been discharged and two unknowns were not in the imperial service records. Lieutenant Braun had his job cut out for him. Karl wasn't really expecting any news for a while.

He approached one of the archive officers as he headed towards his office in the administrative section of the base and requested the reports to be brought to him in his office. While there he also dropped off orders to be forwarded to the engineering sector to take a look at the gun mount on the back of the Diablo Tiger. There was no way he's going back there tonight to give them the orders himself.

With an inner sigh he headed to his office, not betraying his exhaustion in his stride. The faster he gets this done, the faster he'll find himself under his covers.

* * *

_No, evidence... none at all..._

But what was he expecting?

Thoughts spun around Karl's mind as he curled up under his doona, hair still damp from his rushed shower.

Nobody in that bar would confirm such a man had been there, not the customers, not even the barkeeper. Even after a few of the patrons had been arrested and interrogated they gave no indication of ever being in contact with such a character.

Was this because they had been threatened? Maybe they all refused to answer as defiance to military order. Maybe they just don't remember.

Or maybe Karl had been operating on false information.

With a groan Karl pulled the covers over his head.

With a last lingering thought fluttering around the young beautiful girl he cynically doubted and trusted instinctively, as he drifted into a fitful sleep.

* * *

Random fact - If Zi deserts are anything like deserts back home (Australia) it'd get to 40 degrees Celsius (Around about 104 Fahrenheit for you Americans) during the day and drop below freezing at night.

Survival tip - When about to embark on a perilous trek through the desert, prepare a drink with 4 teaspoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt in one litre of water to make a simple solution of electrolyte drink. Electrolytes are used to make an ionic balance between the water inside (your body) and the water outside (your drink) thus encouraging water absorption. When drinking, drink slowly so the water doesn't just flush through your system.

A/N: Sorry for the short chapter this week I'll make it up to you I promise! We're closing in on the end! From the next chapter onwards is what I call the "cliff-hanger cascade." Every chapter from now on will end with a cliff-hanger, in increasing order of magnitude until the finale!


	14. Mobilise

And so the end begins.

Thank you to Arwigirl for being the first reviewer. Soon the plot will thicken some moar. Muahaha! And pilots who's names are stricken from military record suggests they're either mercs or that someone working within the military altered their records... I wonder what it is... ;)

To randomcat23: Oh wow you worked in a desert? How was it? Was it fun? I always wanted to go visit a desert. You'd think that'd be easy in Aus where over 70% of the country is desert...And of the mystery pilots? Hmmm I wonder ;D

To tickleback: Lol thanks for noticing my scifi details. I used to sit around all day thinking of ways to make things, I ended up with a bunch of ideas that'd probably only work in scifi. It turns out I only had enough knowledge to make things sound plausible but not make them work. Wonderful for a scifi writer, terrible for an engineer. I think the main problem is that I'm studying biomedical not engineering...

I've now put enough details for people to try to piece together why the Diablo acted how it did in chapter 3. Did anyone notice? :3 A cookie for anyone who can piece it together! *cue professor Layton puzzle music*

**The title picture** **I drew for this fanfic is linked on my profile page**. Please take a look for a visual on Ren and the Diablo Tiger.

Disclaimer: I do not own Zoids or any of the characters in relation.

Thanks to DuskStarDragon, Darkrad and Darkened-Storm for Beta-ing my work.

Darkened-Storm's fic is Zoids: Rebirth Century, another fic based around a failed assassination attempt lol.

DuskStarDragon's fic is A Bounty hunter's Gentleman, another Karl fic.

* * *

Affinity

Chapter 14: Mobilise

Looking very amused, Doctor D displayed the pulse frequencies of the two Organoids Zeke and Shadow side by side in comparison to that of the emergency distress beacon.

The results showed both Zeke and Shadow gave a very similar pulse when fusing with their respective zoids and hence neither would trigger a Diablo Tiger frenzy. The disparity was so small that one could only assume that they were from the same stock.

This was all well and good however the real question was...

"How on earth did you get Raven to comply?" Karl was dumbstruck.

Doctor D grin grew wider. "I never asked him to comply."

"No, he just told him that one of the internal core circuits was damaged and couldn't be fixed by physical means." Thomas answered, highly impressed, but trying his best not to show it. "We just sat here and took a reading as Raven ordered his Organoid in to fix it."

"But of course we could have fixed it no problems." Doctor D concluded. "But he didn't say please."

Figures. Count on the good Doctor to find a way to obtain obscure information.

"Oh by the way we let him mosey on his merry way afterwards." Doctor D added hastily feigning a tone of innocence.

"..." They really do like adding to Karl's paperwork pile don't they? This was his base and hence that made him the one held responsible for all transaction within the walls. With a sigh he conceded there wasn't really much he could do about it if they tell him **afterwards** so he might as well focus on the issue at hand.

"So what does this tell us?" Karl inquired as he noted the similarity between the two Organoids. The rest of the Guardian Force stood around the projector table in the conference room observing in a curious silence.

"Hmm well let's see." Doctor D began, in his usual nonchalant way, if he was relieved he didn't show it. "first of all let us observe, that the two Organoids seem to share an underlying similar pattern of frequency. Now without observing a third I can only conclusively say that these two Organoids were exceedingly similar. Although if I put forward a hypothesis, I would state that there is a fair chance that all Organoids share a similar underlying pulse frequency with only minor differences and let us believe that until I'm otherwise disproved." He paused for dramatic effect and with a flourish enlarged the frequency of the emergency distress beacon. "Now if I may, anyone can see that it is by no means anywhere close to that of the two Organoids." Another pause. "Which brings me to this. What could it be, that emits a pulse of this frequency, that is associated with zoid cores and is of the size of a human or Organoid?"

If this is a riddle... it was a very obscure one.

"Now assume that all this is correct." Doctor D continued. "Now let's put it together with what we learnt before, how it only targets artificial zoids-"

"Hold on a minute" Colonel Herman interrupted, "didn't we also assume that was just conjecture as well?"

"Yes yes, this is still a hypothetical." Doctor D said, waving off the interruption, "but then I thought, what if the frequency changed based on which zoid the Organoid fused with. And lucky for me I had one Organoid who was compliant." He acknowledged Zeke with a nod who hummed in a pleased tone. "So, this is what the result was-" He brought up another frequency plot.

It elated a much confused response.

"There... doesn't seem to be much difference between the first reading and the second." Karl observed.

Doctor D chuckled "Correction! There is _no_ difference between them. I was completely wrong!"

Karl inwardly sighed, Doctor D was brilliant, but one must have the patience to deal with his eccentricities if they were to get anywhere with him.

"However, what it disproves is just as important as what it proves!" Doctor D ploughed on, "for you see, it tells us A - the signal and its random destruction of artificial zoids may not be relevant, though it's just as likely that it is and we're just not looking at it the right way. B - Organoids may be somehow related to it though probably not in the way we're inclined to think, especially if the base frequency is consistent to all Organoid fusions. And C – however affected it might be, the key to controlling it lies in our dear Colonel's lovely voice."

Karl gave a start. He wasn't sure if he was being teased.

"So in light of all this, who's up for a treasure hunt?" Doctor D clapped his hand together in positive excitement.

"... Excuse me?" Karl was a little apprehensive about where this presentation was going.

Doctor D clasped his hands behind his back, looking knowingly at Karl, like he shared a private joke. "I propose we track down the exact source of its primary objectives, and not just through data sorting. As useful as the younger Schubaltz has been, we're not going to make sense of it all from programming script alone. So I say you take that zoid out and use it like how it was programmed to go."

Karl wasn't sure if he understood... Doctor D wanted him to run the Diablo Tiger around? Searching for god knows what? Hidden in god knows where?

Among all the questions he had "Where would I even start searching?" Was all Karl managed to ask.

To that Doctor D lifted one eyebrow, in a knowing sort of way.

"Why, I do believe you know the coordinates better than anybody."

But how-?

"How do you know about the coordinates?" Thomas asked before Karl could form a word of denial. Great. There goes the military secret. There was more than one reason why he kept Thomas out of his investigations.

Doctor D scoffed. "Boy, how old do you think I am? I was in research before you were born! I was working on technological enhancements before the old coordinates were outdated by my work." He hinted with a wink.

Well that's news. Was Doctor D implying he invented the holo maps?

Wait, if that's the case did Doctor D work in one of the Imperial research facilities?

Could he have worked in one of the facilities that defected to the Republic?

That was a distinct possibility he hadn't considered before, Doctor D certainly was old enough. Plus all things considered, he had to have worked somewhere before the republic split off. If he had always been a scientist, then he would have worked as an imperial scientist.

Karl made a mental note to inquire about this matter later, when he could be certain of not being overheard.

"Well Colonel Schubaltz? What do you say? Take the little angel out for a spin?" Doctor D almost pleaded.

Karl did not immediately respond. On the one hand he did intend to investigate the coordinates personally, on the other he was hoping to wait till his Zaber Fang was repaired. He did think about bringing the Diablo Tiger along, but in his hypothetical the Tiger had always been bolted down in a transporter. Hey was by no means confident in being able to control the Diablo Tiger if it beserked again.

"That is a risky suggestion." Karl replied at last. "I do not believe that is the best course of action."

Doctor D's disappointment was almost palatable. "And how long are you planning to wait?"

"As long as it takes to do this properly."

"Indeed? And you have no need of urgency?"

Karl paused, that's right... he no longer had the luxury of time. Every moment wasted was a chance that this information would slip through his gag order. Intentional or not Doctor D hit the body of the issue.

"Then I'll mobilise in one of the older Zaber Fang units in storage."

"And what if you get attacked again while on the road?"

"I'll take a squad with me."

"Take Van and Irvine."

"Hey! Why am I-?"

"No I'll take one of my squads. If I encounter the enemy I'll at least know they'll follow orders."

"Ah, but my dear Colonel. You'll be going into Republic territory."

Karl paused, that's not right, it lies on the border. It was on the southernmost mountain ranges that separated the two countries. If anything the coordinates lay closer to the imperial side of the mountains.

"I know what you're thinking," Doctor D said with a grin, sensing he was close to victory. He brought up a projection of the Blare Ridge Mountains. "But have you considered how you were going to approach? The side from the empire is sheer cliffs." He indicated the steep and uneven side of the mountain that extended to an almost vertical climb to the point of interest. "There is one path leading to it approachable by Zoids, and that winds up from republic territory." Doctor D highlighted a winding path that extended from the other side and coiled around the softer-slope of the Republican side of the mountain, reaching to a point just above the point of interest.

That was not something Karl had considered. He did not start the preparation for the expedition yet and had not planned a route of approach. But if what Doctor D said was true...

"Then... I guess I have no choice but to request the Republic to grant me permission to take a military unit across their borders." Karl relented, turning slightly to acknowledge Colonel Herman standing off to the left of Doctor D on the opposite side of the table.

Colonel Rob Herman was one of Karl's oldest Republican friends, a man who had faced him on the battlefield during the war and later fought by his side after the two countries reconciled. There was no one in the Republic Karl trusted more than Herman and he hoped the feeling was mutual.

"I will authorise for the border crossing Colonel Schubaltz." Herman answered easily, "and there will be no need for a republican escort. I trust you won't get lost."

Karl smiled, decoding the hidden meaning in Herman's words.

_I trust you won't take your units on a mad rampage through republic territory._

"Hold on a minute you youngster! Are you undermining your elders and betters?" Doctor D said with a mock stern face, "if he's going through republic territory I want him to make a compromise!"

"This really isn't about how much trust you place in him is it Doctor D?" Herman asked rather rhetorically, "this is about him taking the Diablo Tiger."

"Of course it is!" Doctor D cried exasperated, "the whole idea of this exercise was to scan for the elusive signals! I'm very sure it wasn't made to kill people who call for help!"

"And if Colonel Schubaltz loses control of that zoid while in Republic territory?"

Then Karl really couldn't help going on a rampage through republic territory could he?

"He won't." Doctor D replied adamantly. "Because his voice command acts as an over-ride to the Zoid's secondary programming." He turned to Karl with a contemplative look in his eyes. "Whoever made that zoid made sure that only six people were able to override its objective programming. However, by some stroke of luck, and genetics, we were handed a seventh person. Now the question is are you going to accept your father's legacy?"

A startled look passed through Karl's eyes. Doctor D's words rang true, to everything that defined Karl, the successor to his father's investigation as well as the name and honour of his family.

If it was possible that he could control the Diablo Tiger...

"Doctor D. Many lives could rest on whether or not I can bring this zoid to heel. So I ask this once. Are you certain of your findings?"

"I have not a shred of doubt." claimed the doctor with a tone of conviction and a smile.

At last Karl relented. "Then I shall make preparations for departures immediately."

"Colonel Schubaltz, I propose we relocate to Tivon valley base. It is the base closest to the Blare Ranges and we can resupply you before your climb."

"That sounds like the best course of action. I shall have a Whale King readied."

With that both Colonels left the room to begin making preparations for departure.

"Hey Doctor D?" Van began, as the room gradually emptied out. "You said his voice overrides the secondary programming... what about the primary programming?"

The doctor regarded van with a fond sympathy. "Van, don't tell me you don't know what the primary programming is? Like in all zoids, it holds the zoid's combat data. That's the thing we transplanted from Irvine's Command Wolf into the Lightning Saix."

"No no no I didn't mean that!" Van spluttered going red. "I mean the data from the core. The thing Zeke can control."

"You mean the core data Van..."

"Yes I meant that."

"Learn your definitions!"

"Yeesh! Will you get off my back?"

"Harrumph, the core data is a collection of programming originating in the core that defines the zoid's actions while not under human command. Its instincts if you will. Wild zoids all have this programming. Human generated zoids however, do not, as of current we haven't figured out how to input it. Now to answer that question I can see forming in that head of yours the reason the core is still needed for a man-made zoid is because it's also the power source of the zoid. As for what Zeke actually controls when he fuses, it's not the core data; it's the combat data, aka the primary programming, not the core data. Now stop lollygagging and go find Irvine before he escapes! We'll be relocating with Herman."

With that Doctor D strode out. Van followed suit soon after grumbling about how the questions he asked wasn't answered and the answers he got was to questions he didn't ask.

* * *

On the edge of a small sandy Imperial settlement named Riv Town a Shield Liger halted at the walls. In it sat a slight figure clad in tan republican clothing. The gale hit her as soon as she opened the cockpit, tugging fiercely at her dark messy hair, her blue eyes squinted against the sand it brought with it.

This was the last imperial town before crossing the border to republican territory. This was the last place to rest and resupply before a full day's journey through the mountains and to the closest republican settlement.

Quickly closing the hatch once more, Serenity coughed up the sand she accidentally swallowed and brushed the grit out of her hair. From her pack she took out her scarf, wrapping it around her nose and mouth firmly before rummaging for her pilot's jacket with the sand-shading hood. She had a moment of regret that she didn't have a set of goggles on her as she quickly assembled her attire.

Pulling the hood down far over her eyes she opened the hatch and was once again confronted the heavy winds. Wishing to not spend more time out here than she had to, she alighted from the Liger, locking the hatch as she left.

Rushing through the open gates of the town she glanced around for a possible place to sit the sandstorm out. Squinting against the less than perfect optical conditions she made out a sign swinging hard against the wind. "The Jovial Zaber" it said. With a tacky name like that how could it not be a bar?

With a small sigh of relief Serenity entered and slammed the door shut before she could let anymore sand in. Only when the roaring of the wind in her face became a deep thrum through thick mud brick walls did she stop to breathe deep and take in her surroundings. Upon hindsight she realised what a clever business tactic it was to set up a bar so close to the entrance where exhausted travellers would head to the first serviceable facility they could see for a meal and a drink.

Serenity approached the bar to order a drink for her parched throat; she ate more sand than she did food in the past thirty hours. She had been travelling cross country since mid-morning the day before.

She greeted the grizzled middle-aged man behind the counter who, upon the exchange of a coin produced a watery beer from the tap.

Serenity didn't complain, she loosened the scarf from her face and downed the mug before thinking to dust off the sand coating her face. She would have to negotiate for a room in this bar as well as a couple of meals. It wasn't that she was worried that there wouldn't be any rooms, just about ever bar in these remote areas doubled as an inn (or more correctly to say every inn had a bar), She worried about the burden of cost it would place on her.

Upon being taken to the outskirts of Guygalos Serenity purchased a second hand Shield Liger from one of the small time dealers using up most of her prize money. She had intended to return to Republican territory, and then... She had no idea.

She supposed the first thing she wanted to do was to visit Bril town, the town closest to where her brother's broken zoid was found. She would pay her respects, and then she will move on with her life. Maybe take bounties from lodges within Republican towns, the legal kind. Hunting by herself would be a hard life, but she had no wish to settle in one place.

Serenity placed another coin on the counter and indicated to the mug for a refill, the barkeeper obliged. Carrying her insufficiently filled mug Ren headed for an isolated corner in the bar hoping to avoid conversation. It wasn't hard to find one, for a bar this big there was hardly anyone there. Everyone was probably sensibly taking shelter in their own homes. Apart from the grizzled barkeeper there were only seven others, not including Serenity. Four of which were engaging in a rowdy game of cards. The other three sat by themselves in various parts of the room, avoiding conversation as Serenity herself was doing. This weather probably did something to the usual mood of the bar.

Serenity caught herself brooding and stopped before she ventured into unwanted thoughts. This was already a depressing bar with depressing weather, she wasn't going to add to that. With a small sigh she sipped from her glass, slowly this time, mind adamantly thinking towards the future. That wasn't much better in itself but it was still the preferable topic.

The door to the bar suddenly swung open admitting a great gust of sand into the room. Serenity pulled her hood further over her eyes grateful to be distracted from her spiralling hopelessness. The person who had entered immediately commanded the attention of everyone in the bar, for he wore the uniform of an imperial soldier. As he closed the door his wind-cape parted sightly to reveal the bars on the left chest his uniform indicating he was a ranked officer. That got Serenity's attention, as well as everyone else in the bar. The officer brushed himself off and took a sweeping glance around the room. His eyes locked with a clean shaven man with short black hair and a thick red bar clan tattoo under his right eye. He approached, removing his goggles and mask as he did so revealing himself as a fair skinned young man who was probably in his mid twenties.

"Randal Walker?" He asked as he stopped in front of bar patron.

The man nodded a confirmation.

"I am Lieutenant Braun of the first Panzer Division. I was informed that you may have information concerning an Eric J Peterson."

"Indeed? What is it you'd like to know about him?"

Serenity suddenly started, she recognised that voice. Trying to be as discrete as possible she took a good look at the patron.

How could she have missed it before?

This was the man who had sold her the bounty on Karl. His hair was cut and he was fairly well shaven now, the green crescent shaped tattoo under his eye was now replaced the red bar tattoo. She wasn't even sure if it was a tattoo or even the green one previously, either way his voice was unmistakable and the more she observed the more familiar his features became.

She strained her ears to catch what she could of the conversation as they began speaking in a lower register. Serenity made out a question concerning whereabouts of the individual, an answer in return that did not elicit a pleased response from the officer and an offer of condolences.

What is going on? Does this officer know who this man is?

A few more words were exchanged before the patron stood up, as did the officer, and they headed for the exit. Serenity gave them a few seconds head start before getting up herself and following them out.

The storm had already ebbed down to a strong breeze, still strong enough to carry sand, but not in the quantities it had before. It was no longer possible to suffocate.

She closed the door behind her and quickly caught sight of the billowing back of officer's cape as he exited through the entrance gate. Serenity hurried after him; if she was caught she could pretend she decided the wind died down enough for her to move on with her own journey.

She rounded the corner and exited through the gates and stopped dead in her tracks. At her feet was a sunken pool of blood soaked sand and a furrowing bloody trail headed for an immobile black Zaber Fang. The trail did not reach the inactive zoid for at its end was a dark figure blurred out by the gusting sand stooping over a still shape on the ground. The cloak on the prone shape fluttered against the wind as it was being dragged roughly towards the Zaber Fang.

Serenity stood frozen in fascinated horror at the scene. The body, the blood, in such a short amount of time...

What happened?

And what is that dragging it? It doesn't look human. It doesn't look human at all!

Almost like it was responding to her thoughts, the stooped figure paused. As it straightened to an upright position Serenity could see, it wasn't just an illusion created by the screen of sand. The indistinct dark shape stood to full height, just taller than that of a human, she couldn't make out its limbs or features but could tell its head had a distinct degree of distance from its body, because as she watched, its eyes, a good half a meter above its bulky body lit up in a predatory shade of gold.

Without another thought Ren turned and ran for her Shield Liger. In a panic she fumbled with the lock, her fear making her fingers clumsy. Did it see her? Was it approaching her right now? Was she going to end up like that Imperial officer, a bloody mess in the sand?

It wasn't until she sat in the cockpit with the hatch roof down did she finally calm down enough to think rationally.

It wasn't after her... it didn't see her. She's safe.

She told herself this over and over again until her breath evened out and her pulse stopped thrumming in her ears like an overexcited hummingbird.

She'll leave quickly, she thought to herself, and calmly. Get as far away from here as possible. If she was lucky nobody will know she had been here. If she wasn't she'll have just implicated herself in another Imperial crime, and even if she was innocent this time who would believe her? She already shown she was predisposed to attacking Imperial officers.

That's what she'll do, run and not look back.

Serenity booted up the system, the cockpit lit up and the computer screens blinked into life as her zoid pulled itself into an upright position, but before she could move the Liger a single step forward, her radar bleeped in warning. Four active zoids was in the vicinity.

She turned on the spot and with a cold dread as she spotted the Zaber Fang standing up from its crouching position, the imperial crest of its military unit glinting dully against the sun through the veil of sand. As she watched another three zoids came to life, another Zaber Fang, this one red and not bearing a military crest, a Rev Raptor and a Climber Wolf. With a start of horror Serenity realised none of them had pilots.

And all of them were approaching her.

* * *

-Zoid Data-

This section was created to give readers some idea of the power comparison of each zoid mentioned in the fiction. After all, not everyone has the privilege of having an entire zoid encyclopaedia at one's beck and call.

Rev Raptor

Alliance: Imperial

Pilot: Unknown

Weight: 23.5t

Speed: 210km/h

Main Weaponry: (Power based on a point evaluation system)

Counter Size - 70

Hyper Claw - 60

Armour defence: 20

Note: This is probably a mass produced ambush unit by the empire. Doesn't translate very well in game. It's fast, and weak and always come in groups. Anyone call Zergling rush?

Climber Wolf

Alliance: Republic

Pilot: Unknown

Weight: 49.5t

Speed: 200km/h

Main Weaponry: (Power based on a point evaluation system)

Double Laser - 50

Bite Fang - 85

Armour defence: 20

Note: The department of redundancy called, they want their zoid back. It's apparently a command wolf that was modified and rigged up for mountain combat, it doesn't translate well in game either since environment really doesn't affect game play. Maybe people around mountainous area uses it for transportation or something. Choice of transport for Zoid travel Agencies maybe?


	15. Unravel

It's Friday yet again! Huzzuh! Things are spicing up~!

Thank you to animeazngal for being first reviewer. I hope you enjoyed the freaky chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. I shall endeavour to make this story ever increasingly more interesting :3

To Darkened-Storm: Mobilise basically means "move out."

To Arwigirl: Doctor D is fun to write and the mystery is slowly unravelling itself (hence the title)

To randomcat23: I love Doctor D too, I feel like I'm making him channel one of the Doctors in Doctor Who, oh so know it all and clever :3 and your guess as to the direction of the story I'm going in is spot on *clap*

To tickleback: The story is just getting heated up :3 Be sure there is more adorable Van to come.

Huzzuh! 50! *goes into a coma of happiness*

**The title picture** **I drew for this fanfic is linked on my profile page**. Please take a look for a visual on Ren and the Diablo Tiger.

Disclaimer: I do not own Zoids or any of the characters in relation.

Thanks to DuskStarDragon, Darkrad and Darkened-Storm for Beta-ing my work. Thank you the 3Ds! I'm buying one next year!

Darkened-Storm's fic is Zoids: Rebirth Century, another fic based around a failed assassination attempt lol.

DuskStarDragon's fic is A Bounty hunter's Gentleman, another Karl fic.

* * *

Affinity

Chapter 15: Unravel

"Hold on! Whoa!"

"Colonel Schubaltz is something wrong?"

"... I don't know. The Diablo responded to a signal. Did anyone else get a reading?"

Balanced precariously on the edge of a narrow path jutting out from the side of a rocky cliff face Karl breathed a sigh of relief. When the signal set off the Diablo Tiger it had been in the middle of picking a trail up an uneven slope. It could glide up the rocks with natural ease, the rest of his six men squad were not so lucky. The Zaber Fangs could only manage a clumsy ascension up even the easiest paths the Colonel could pick. The progress had been slow at best; the holo map did not adequately project how difficult the climb would be. Luckily the point of interest was fairly close to the ground, but that was only in relative to scale. For when you factor in the fact the mountain extended a good four kilometres upwards, it became far more of an ordeal to reach. Which would become far worse if the Diablo Tiger insists on taking a leap of faith back to base.

Sweating a little Karl peered over the edge, replaying in his mind the sheer drop he almost experienced. He was ok with heights; it was falls he wasn't too keen on. When the Diablo picked up the signal, it had made a move to launch itself over the edge to pursue the source of the signal, it was Karl's instinctive reflexes that saved him from a fall.

"Sorry sir, we're not picking up anything."

That's odd. The Diablo Tiger's tracker was going mental; it insisted that straight ahead there was a distress signal going off.

But if nobody else was detecting it...

"First Panzer Division to Tivon Valley Base. Come in Tivon Valley Base." Karl broadcasted into his headset com. There was always a problem connecting with the communicator in the Diablo Tiger.

"We're getting you loud and clear Schubaltz, what seems to be the problem?" Van's voice cheerfully answered.

"I want you to run a scan for me." Karl requested, not bothering to ask what Van was doing in the com room. He had a way for turning up in strange places and compared to his usual antics this was positively tame.

"Sure what am I looking for?"

"Search for a distress signal around the South West of my position. It appears to be moving steadily east though not heading directly towards you."

"Ok give me a minute." In the background Karl could hear someone yell _don't touch anything!_

A few seconds later another voice came onto the radio. "Colonel Schubaltz, we're not detecting anything with our systems. Are you sure there is a signal incoming?"

"Yes, but I'm beginning to think this isn't an emergency call."

"Ohoho" a familiar enigmatic chuckle came through the earpiece. "I do believe you've found what we were looking for after all. Well what are you waiting for? Go after it!"

"What about our mission here?" Karl threw a glance down the mountain face, despite the distance from the ground they had not come very far at all within the few hours. Even though, it would be a shame to waste such a fine start.

"Frankly, if we wait for you people to reach the other side we'll be here all week."

Ouch, he didn't have to be so critical, Tigers weren't built for climbing.

"I'll tell you what, you go after whatever that you're detecting, and we'll send Van and Irvine up in Climber Wolfs."

Of course... the republic had special zoids for the practical purpose of climbing. Climber wolves were Command Wolves specially built and customised for speed and manoeuvrability over mountainous terrain. Karl had to admit, that did sound much more practical. Except.

"If so I request an extra Climber Wolf be prepared and for it to be assigned to Lieutenant Schubaltz."

"Yes that sounds fair, since this is still somewhat of an imperial mission." Doctor D mused. "Alright, I'll get Van to go tell them what we've decided. You, hop to it!"

"Very well." Karl agreed and gave a long drawn out sigh when he closed the com channel. He wasn't too sure if Doctor D had been giving him orders or just suggestions. Either way he found himself doing exactly as what the good doctor prescribed.

"Men, we're going back down."

* * *

_Shitshitshitshitshitshit!_

Pushing her Shield Liger as fast as it could go, Serenity dashed recklessly along an even mountain path boxed in on both sides by high cliffs creating a canyon-like route. It had been used frequently for travel between the Empire and the Republic, more so now that the two countries were at peace. It was often boasted as the most level, even and safest trading route to travel, but even then, that was going at a sensible pace.

The Shield Liger jarred to a stop as a corner suddenly rushed up towards it and almost dove headlong over the edge of a ditch that edged the rocky outcrop of the mountain. Almost as soon as it skidded to a stop it turned and was off again along the still twisting path, sending shale clattering down the side.

Serenity's eyes were fixed on the path ahead of her. If that experience has taught her anything it was that she could not afford a moment's distraction on this boxed in trail going at this speed. She knew that there was one zoid was stalking her from the rocky outcrops above her. She could not look up to confirm but if she had to guess it was most likely the Climber Wolf up there.

The other three were behind her, but not by far.

_Stupid stupid stupid!_

Why didn't she run the other way? Where there were wide open deserts and plains, where the Shield Liger's boosters could have taken her far out of harm's way. She could have easily outpaced all of them. Why did she insist on taking the route she originally planned, when her plans had so obviously gone tragically amiss?

She had probably been bolting down this path for an hour now, maybe two. How long did it take to reach the other side? A day wasn't it? No, half a day travelling at a careful pace. She took the trail faster than anyone had before, so how far along was she?

Was she going to make it?

If she could only reach the other side, the land will even out into Tivon Valley where she could ride out of there on the boosters.

**Skkrt!**

Serenity made a near miss to a turn in the path and grazed the side of the Shield Liger against the jagged rocks lining the mountainous path.

That would leave an ugly mark in the paint job, but it wasn't like the Liger was in pristine condition to begin with. Her dash along the trading route has already left her Liger with more dents than it came in second hand. The important thing was not to rush headlong into something that would render enough damage to leave her to the tender mercies of her pursuers. Whatever it was chasing her was not natural, and she had her doubts about whether they understood the concept of mercy.

As Serenity skirted another corner, to her surprise and apprehension the path began to widen out. The blur of rocks to her right disappeared as the scenery of open country scrolled into view.

With a sudden feeling of elation Serenity put on an extra burst of speed in already treacherous conditions, urged on by the prospect of freedom.

The path was descending quickly and evening out. The open earth below closing in to greet her.

She was almost there.

Almost.

Without warning the zoid that had been pursuing her from above leapt down to block her path. It trained its lasers and opened fire.

Serenity could not even react.

At the speed she was going how could she?

The lasers struck her chassis above her left shoulder, narrowly missing the cockpit. Her zoid faltered and stumbled but there was no way to stop its charge.

It barrelled into the Climber Wolf, the impact cracking the cockpit hatch and shredding bits of metal off the chassis. Both zoids lost their feet and skidded along the track.

The safety strap pulled taught as Serenity launched forward in her seat as the zoid turned in on its head becoming completely disorientated, until suddenly with a lurch, she felt the ground give way. With a sudden jolt she realised her zoid had shot off the edge and she stared in transfixed horror as she sunk below the lip of the mountain trail.

She squeezed her eyes shut. This was it.

And she felt the great vibration of the earth coming to meet her falling zoid.

However it came much sooner than she expected.

She was not as far from the ground as she had thought.

Eyes wide open she tested the control, the system had not frozen, she was alive and her zoid was still functional!

The Climber wolf was not so lucky; its smashed remains lay broken a few meters away from her.

Breathing a sigh of relief she smirked and dragged her zoid to an upright position.

So long suckers!

She kicked the boosters into gear.

The Shield Liger had a burst of motion, from standing to almost flying, before suddenly crumpling, turning end on end and skidding to a stop, kicking up dust and uprooting the twisted stumpy trees and bushes that dotted the land.

With a shock of disbelief Serenity finally cast her eyes to the damage display. The last laser shot fired off by the Wolf had taken out one of her boosters.

Foreboding clang of metal against rock echoed along the path Serenity just plunged off of. They're coming.

They're coming and she could do nothing.

"Come on! Move! Move!" Serenity pushed on the accelerator desperately. All the Liger could manage was a gaiting limp.

With a great war cry, a dark shape flew over her head and landed in front of her. The black Zaber Fang leapt from the great height of the trail above; its imperial crest glinting sharply against its black polished metal, apparently the only damage it took on its headlong flight in pursuit of its quarry was a small jagged tear to the side of its torso.

With a heavy heart Serenity cast her eyes out past the Tiger to the wide golden plains behind it.

Here she was, a Liger Pilot on flat open land.

And she was going to die here.

She could not help but grimace with dark humour at the irony of it all.

* * *

The signal disappeared Karl observed with a hint of dismay.

The flashing red cursor in front of him on the screen that signified he was closing in on target disappeared suddenly and inexplicitly. Now the Diablo Tiger turned on its motion sensors scanning the landscape around them for signs of small-sized objects as it bound across country.

Just as he was closing in on it too.

When Karl had realised he would very well lose the target to distance, he detached from his unit to figure their own way down the mountain. He put his second in command on the field, Sergeant Alex Eichel in charge. They were to catch up with him as soon as they could, but to descend from the mountain slowly and carefully.

From there on Karl pushed the Diablo Tiger into a dashing gallop.

He followed the signal which was drifting gradually eastward seeming to move through the mountain. On the path Karl was following he might have very well intercepted the target fairly close to the mountain base.

In his mind he sorted through possibilities of what this might be. After last time, ambush was high on his list.

Which was why he had planned to move as fast as possible. He wanted to reduce his chances of getting sprung by reducing the time window in which an ambush could be organised. Usually he would not be so reckless in his usage of speed however even going at this rate of propulsion the Diablo' energy reserves were barely touched.

If this was the case he would probably be able to activate the cloaking device as he closed in on target. As it has not rained for a while the solid earth of the plain would not give him away.

At least, this was the plan before the signal disappeared.

Slightly frustrated, all Karl could do was head in the general direction to where the signal had pointed at before it vanished.

He skirted the outcrop of rock from the mountain that stretched as far as the eye could see. The Blare Ridge Ranges stretched from the South, beginning at a plateau close to the ocean and continued in an almost straight line to the north where it subsequently connected with another, larger mountain range. These mountain barriers created a natural divider between the two countries and up until recently, had sat on contested territory.

Ever since the end of the war trading had been opened up between the two countries and mountain trails had been utilised for transport of goods. One such trail was coming to view ahead. The path snaked its way around the mountain side acting as a natural ramp way for the canyon path that extended through the inside of the mountain ridge.

Karl reigned in the Diablo Tiger, reducing its speed to a steady pace. With a verbal order he turned the stealth system on and proceeded to approach cautiously. The signal stated the target passed through the mountain at this position so it was certain that whatever it was had to have utilised the trail. Unless of course it was flying, but that was unlikely since the cursor that highlighted the target in the distance was pointed fairly adamantly to something at ground level.

If this was a trap, he wasn't going to fall for it.

Prowling silently while approaching the base of the trail, Karl's sharp green eyes picked up signs of irregularity on what should be a well worn trail. He approached cautiously, one eye on the radar, the other scanning the rocks above him. It was a prudent tactic to place units upon high points as humans rarely, if ever, look up.

Half way up to the trail to the canyon trail, Karl realised what had caught his eye.

Littered across the path were shards of metal of blues and whites, some larger chunks of what could have been from machinery and deep gouges upon the earth like something had skidded across the ground.

Right over the edge.

Karl approached the side cautiously.

Not so far down below sprawled the shattered remains of a Wolf-type zoid. From this distance Karl could tell that it wasn't the fall that killed it, for the distance it would have fallen would not have given it this sort of extensive impact damage. Something else must have struck it and caused it to tumble off the edge.

Something blue.

Was this wolf the source of the signal?

Or was it this mysterious blue zoid?

Karl edged the Tiger over the side to allow it to slide down gracefully on its claws. To anyone watching that might have looked startling as all they would have seen were deep claw-like furrows suddenly appearing down the side of the cliff-face.

Closer up the zoid's original features before its accident became more apparent. If Karl were to venture a guess, this would be a republican Climber Wolf. Since he had not engaged in mountainous combat back in the war he had not the pleasure of encountering this particular model.

Upon its chassis were great blue scrapes, signifying something with a blue paintjob had scraped past it leaving contact trace. Most likely the same thing that left bits of itself back on that trail.

So if that was the case where was this mysterious blue zoid?

Did it just get up and walk away?

The ear piece chose that moment to blare to life, jolting Karl out of his musings.

"Colonel Schubaltz. We have Lieutenant Schubaltz on the video com, requesting permission to patch him through." said a nameless Republican soldier.

Adjusting the volume on his earpiece yet again he answered. "You can try. The video communicator on the Diablo Tiger does not appear to be functional."

"Actually the engineers fixed it last night." Doctor D's voice supplemented over the headset. "You'll see it's in perfect working order now. The Diablo's cannon too if you must know."

Of course he had to know! Why don't people ever tell him these things immediately?

"Karl!" Thomas' face appeared upon his communicator screen. "You have got to see what we've found!"

"I think it would be prudent to start from the beginning _Lieutenant Schubaltz_."

"Right... Colonel Schubaltz." Thomas added as an afterthought, apparently getting the hint. "The squad lead by me reached the target location half an hour ago. There we found a cave complex that lead to a secret base within the side of the mountain, at the exact coordinates you figured out."

Regretting deeply his rash decision to rush off to find the source of the signal, Karl listened enrapt at

Thomas' description on how he single handily found the pass code to enter the base from the black book Karl gave him. Karl was momentarily annoyed Thomas had taken to carrying the journal around when he had taken such lengths to conceal it but he did not interrupt. Thomas then began describing the interior in depth. It opened into a large hanger space that seemed to be built into a large cavern area. He made mention of an elevator system towards the other side of the complex that would have lowered to ground level of the Imperial side of the mountain with a hint of amusement in his voice. Karl was less impressed, there was no way he could have known that. Thomas then described one odd feature of the cavern-like hanger. Situated in the back of were three blast doors, two of which were open to show nothing but a large square space cut into the rock. However the third one...

"It was sealed shut. We tried shooting at it but it wouldn't open. Well not to brute force anyway. When Van was done with his barbaric attempt I tried the more subtle approach."

"Hey!" an indignant voice in the background chirped up, "You were the one firing at it!"

"Ahem, like I was saying. I tried to open it remotely. We located the command centre off to the side of the complex. It too was cut from the rock. In there was consoles and processors, you could tell they were old stuff, but at the same time it was all surprisingly advanced. Well anyway, I booted the system, gave a password, complimentary of you book of course, and I was in."

Thomas barely had that journal for a day and already he was hacking computer systems with its information? Sort of makes Karl's entire previous efforts look a little redundant.

"And Karl! The stuff that were in there -"

"Don't forget to tell him about what was behind door number three." Van's voice interrupted again.

"Oh right, the third door had a tunnel, nothing special."

"Of course it's special! It was dug out! The inside of the blast door had scratches and claw marks on it, whatever couldn't get out of there decided to burrow underground."

"Yes well, I was just getting to that. Because you see Karl, what the consol in the command centre told us was behind door number three was the Diablo Tiger. For whatever reason when the system was activated, door number three was not open like the other two."

"What was in the other two?" Karl asked apprehensively. If they were anything like the Diablo...

"Two other Imperial zoids I've never heard of. I suppose they developed them alongside the Diablo, actually they were started after the Diablo was but were finished much sooner. They're also rigged with an artificial intelligence system, and get this! It really was based off my earlier Beek design."

"The... talking toaster?"

"For your information it received and processed verbal commands as well as visual surroundings so _aware_ would be more appropriate and it was a radio _and_ a toaster!"

"Yes, quite right, please continue."

"So yes like I was saying, the other two zoids. I haven't seen anything like them before."

A picture was received and enlarged up on another screen. On it was displayed the front and side views of two zoids that resembled Ligers. Except, the resemblance was only minute. Both Ligers were of a slender build, their heads were not anchored to their chassis body. This would allow the zoids a greater range of turning for their heads Karl observed, but also making the unarmoured point between their bodies and head a potential weak point. They both looked almost identical to each other except...

"The red one is the Liger Zero Empire. The gold one is called the Liger Zero X. They're the only model of artificial Liger that was never developed by the Republic. It seems that these Ligers were in fact developed by the Empire. First of a kind. The logs indicate they were activated over three years ago."

During the war?

"And where are these Ligers now?"

"Well here's the thing. They disappeared not long after they were deployed. It's currently unknown where they are, but records do show their last known location."

A map appeared on the com screen replacing the images of the two Ligers.

"This was their last known point of functioning."

With a slight murmur of surprise Karl noted that the map indicated the mountain ranges just on the other side of Tivon Valley opposite to that of the Blare Ridge Ranges.

"That isn't very far from here." Karl noted as he compared his current location with the new point of interest. "As we are in the most favourable position my unit can make it there within an hour, or two depending on how fast my squad can get to my position. Provided of course Colonel Herman gives me permission to take my squad deeper into Republic Territory."

Karl paused expectantly, knowing full well the Republican Colonel would be in the com room by now to listen in. Herman didn't disappoint.

"Herman here. I will give you permission to enter further into Republic territory and explore this location provided you submit a copy of the written report to the Republic as well. If there's two potential Diablo Tigers running around our territory we'll like to know about it."

"Very well, I accept your proposal."

With that the matter was settled. Karl will wait for his squad to catch up with him; from there they will travel south east until they meet the mountain wall closest to where the point of interest lay. This time it didn't look too bad since the topographic map shown it had a much gentler slope than the previous one. Karl was beginning to wonder why everywhere he had to go these days involved places that were difficult to reach.

"Another thing Karl," Thomas began, forgetting yet again to use titles. "The signals you were picking up before, we saw them too. This base we're in, it's got a long range sensor. Actually it could very well be many small sensors placed in various regions because I can't see how its range could be so large. It covers the area part way into the Empire and Republic."

"Oh?" Karl gave an involuntary glance to the broken Wolf crumpled a short distance away.

"I've had some time to study the signal and the script of the monitoring device. Well long story short, you're standing at the location of where one of the signals disappeared."

"I see." Karl mused, still eyeing the shattered zoid, "It's good to get confirma- Wait... did you say _one of_?"

"Yes, there were three more signals; they disappeared to the east of you. Approximately two hundred meters."

Karl turned the head of his zoid so that it faced directly to the east. The sun was beginning to dip in the sky behind him promising only about two more hours of guaranteed light, casting long shadows from the smallest irregularities, giving a blotchy texture to the irregular earth. This was probably why he had missed it the first time.

The landscape was literally covered in shredded zoid parts.

Picking his way gingerly through the graveyard of zoids Karl eyed the debris with a feeling of apprehension. Taking a moment to double check that he still had his cloaking device running he realised that he missed a massacre by mere minutes. He could not tell how many zoids were involved but there was more scrap here than one zoid could provide. Approaching a larger chunk of greying debris Karl noted that it belonged to a Zaber Fang of unknown colour. Its head had been completely removed from chassis body and was torn in half once more, what he was looking at was most likely the upper torso. A small distance away a zoid head lay on the ground, it was too small to be the actual head that fitted on the dismembered body. Karl enlarged the image on the screen. From there he could make out enough of its details to determine it was a badly mangled Rev Raptor head, the armour plating over its forehead was completely torn away and cockpit glass underneath cracked badly inward. Frowning slightly Karl leant forward staring hard into the cracked cockpit. With it crushed that badly he expected to see dark blood smeared across the glass as the pilot would have no doubt been crushed along with it. But... nothing.

Was it crushed after the pilot ejected?

Wait that wouldn't be right, the seat would be missing if there had been an ejection, as well as the hatch cover. Both were still evidently there.

Karl scanned the area looking for the head of the Zaber Fang just to double check if it sustained the same damage, and if it had a dead pilot in it.

He stumbled upon more of a Zaber Fang, except it did not belong to the first one.

It was a Zaber Fang of military issue.

Karl's heart leapt to his throat as his eyes fell upon the battered First Panzer Division emblem tattooed to the shattered shoulder of the mangled zoid.

* * *

-Zoid Data-

This section was created to give readers some idea of the power comparison of each zoid mentioned in the fiction. After all, not everyone has the privilege of having an entire zoid encyclopaedia at one's beck and call.

Liger Zero (I know, it's not actually a zoid in this chapter per say, but I thought you might be interested in comparing this famous model of zoid with its counterparts mentioned)

Alliance: Republic

Pilot: Unknown

Weight: 85t

Speed: 307km/h

Main Weaponry: (Power based on a point evaluation system)

Shock Cannon - 160

Ion Booster - +300 speed

Strike Laser Claw - 240

Armour defence: 55

Note: The famous white Liger Zero model as it is in New Century, let it be noted this is the original zoid and all other variants such as Schneider, Panzer, ect are all CAU units, even the two mentioned in this story, the Empire and the X.

Liger Zero Empire

Alliance: Imperial

Pilot: Unknown

Weight: 85t

Speed: 307km/h

Main Weaponry: (Power based on a point evaluation system)

Shock Cannon - 160

Ion Booster - +300 speed

Strike Laser Claw - 210

Armour defence: 55

Note: First thing I want you to notice is that the white Liger Zero that belongs to Bit Cloud in New Century was developed by the republic. This Liger Zero model however, aka the red Liger Zero, was developed by the Empire. When I first saw this in the game and discovered I could only build a Liger Zero Empire by creating it as a CAU into a Liger Zero model I was quite confused. It was a bit of a downgrade (Strike Laser Claw 240 - 210). Not only did it make it totally redundant but the fact that THE EMPIRE BUILT THIS got me thinking. The Empire is usually really good at manufacture and development, if they build a Liger Zero at the same time or after the Republic they'd build a much better version. It's usually the Republic that comes up with the red devil grenades and cheap knock offs right? The only way this useless zoid's existence makes sense is if it was made before the Republic's version. My hypothesis is that the Liger Zero was first developed by the Empire and installed with an organoid system with pilot recognition we know as the "Black Box" in the future but know as the Beek system in the current timeline. Also, my piece de résistance of my conspiracy theory...

Doesn't Bit Cloud look a CRAP load like the young Karl? Oo

I mean seriously take a look at Karl's pictures of when he was younger, more specifically the picture of him punching the crap outta the larger bulkier guy. Is it just me or did his expression and form just look like a less spiky haired version of Bit? Also notice the colour scheme for the characters. Blond with green eyes. Both of them Super Saiyans! Just think about it, cause its trippin me out!

Liger Zero X

Alliance: Imperial

Pilot: Unknown

Weight: 115t

Speed: 315km/h

Main Weaponry: (Power based on a point evaluation system)

Shock Cannon - 160

Stun Blade - 180

E-driver - 150

Strike Laser Claw - 220

Armour defence: 60

Note: This is another CAU development of the Liger Zero unit. This too is developed by the Empire. On first glance it does seem a superior unit to the white Liger Zero unit (it's certainly superior to the Liger Zero Empire) however it does have one major indicator that determines its position on the line of the Liger Zero evolution. Notice its Strike Laser Claw is stronger than the Empire, but weaker than the white Liger Zero. If we accept the hypothesis the Liger Zero Empire existed first, than we can safely assume that the Liger Zero X appeared shortly after.

Its equipment the Stun Blade and the E-driver does what it sounds like it does, it stuns opposing zoids, like a Spark Liger. The E-driver does this strange ranged area stun affect whereby it could stun up to four zoids of varying distance and the Stun Blade comes out like the Zero Schneider's blades but only with electricity. The rest of the weaponry is rather standard.


	16. Discovery

Holy smokes! Has it been a week already? Where does the time fly?

Thanks to animeazngal for being first reviewer. Lol I did say I was gonna end every chapter from now on with a cliff-hanger. I'm feeling particularly nasty this chapter :3

To Randomcat23: It's amazing how much detail you can tell about zoids by comparing stats, but then again most people probably wouldn't pull data like that apart like I do...

Muahaha I've been waiting for two months to get to this chapter, my favourite cliff-hanger by far.

**The title picture** **I drew for this fanfic is linked on my profile page**. Please take a look for a visual on Ren and the Diablo Tiger.

Disclaimer: I do not own Zoids or any of the characters in relation.

Thanks to DuskStarDragon, Darkrad and Darkened-Storm for Beta-ing my work. Thank you the 3Ds! I'm buying one next year!

Darkened-Storm's fic is Zoids: Rebirth Century, another fic based around a failed assassination attempt lol.

DuskStarDragon's fic is A Bounty hunter's Gentleman, another Karl fic.

* * *

Affinity

Chapter 16: Discovery

The First Panzer squadron reigned in to a stop as they approached the Diablo Tiger standing immobile amidst the wreckage with its cockpit hatch open. A little alarmed by this they contacted Colonel Schubaltz, fearing the worst.

"Colonel Schubaltz! Come in Colonel Schubaltz!" The young sergeant broadcasted.

After a moment of high tension he breathed a sigh of relief as the Colonel's voice returned the call.

"I'm here Sergeant Eichel. Look down." It was then Eichel finally spotted the Colonel standing at the base of the Diablo Tiger with his hand raised in a gesture to catch attention.

"Sergeant, transmit back to the Tivon Valley Republic base to inform them that there had been an altercation at this position, request they send a small squad to secure and assess this area. Also ask them to connect you to our base. I need you to contact Lieutenant Adler, give him access to Lieutenant Braun's reports and inform him that he is to form a search party to locate the whereabouts of Lieutenant Braun."

"Yes sir!" The well trained Sergeant immediately got to work without asking any more questions, as perplexing the orders were.

Karl was already climbing back into the Diablo Tiger, booting it up and setting the navigation. With one last glance to the wreckage his eyes lingered on the severed head of the Imperial Zaber Fang. Before his squad arrived, he had spotted the head and descended to investigate, praying that he wouldn't find himself face to face with the splattered remains of anyone he'd know. His prayers were answered and the cockpit turned out to be just as empty as that of the Rev Raptor. He checked the model number and registration and realised it belonged to Lieutenant Braun of whom he had not inquired about all day. When his squadron finally arrived he gave up his search around the wreckage for clues. Braun did not appear to be here, his body was not found, and therefore he might be still alive. The best thing to do is to call in a search party and hope that wherever Braun was that he was in a condition to be able to take care of himself.

As the communications line between his Sergeant and the Tivon Valley base closed Karl made one last acknowledgement to the remains of the Zaber Fang in case this would be Lieutenant Braun's last proof of existence.

"Let's move out!"

* * *

Why did he save her if he was going to just leave her out here in this condition?

Serenity stared hopelessly into the distance as she pushed her limping Liger along as fast as its mangled hydraulics could go. The hot desert air billowed through the gaping crack in the cockpit hatch. Although soon the heat would no longer be a problem, the sun was setting.

A fire could help she supposed, but not by much, and without a thermal sleeping bag or a tent she'll be forced to sleep in freezing conditions whether she stay inside or outside. The best option would be to push on, and hope she reached a town soon. Although odds of that happening was strained at best since her navigator was broken during the last moments of her mad race through the canyon trail, more specifically during the moment when her zoid had nailed another at high speeds.

Damn it all!

Why did that stupid pilot save her?

She had all but accepted her fate when the three unpiloted zoids surrounded her but just when she closed her eyes a destructive force of unbelievable proportions swooped down and decimated the zoids.

The battle, if one could call it that, lasted barely five seconds. It torn the three zoids limb from limb, mangling them so thoroughly that it made the Diablo Tiger's work seem like a child's tantrum.

And just as instantly, it was off again, speeding off into the distance.

She barely registered the fact she was saved by a great red Geno Breaker that had randomly appeared and disappeared just as quickly.

It was a highly confusing encounter.

Not that she wasn't grateful. Her life was just saved by Raven, a legend among mercenaries.

It's just much harder to appreciate that fact after being broiled for an hour and facing the prospect of freezing within another.

Serenity sighed.

There was not much else she could do other than to head east and hope she finds civilisation.

* * *

The sun was hovering close to the horizon when Karl's squad pulled up at the base of the mountainous range on the opposite side of Tivon Valley. According to the navigator they were near the point of interest.

This face of the mountain was of a lusher look than the Blare Ridge Ranges. Trees and shrubs grew over it as it had softer earth and a gentler slope. However the advantage of the gentle slope was over set by the fact there was virtually no clear path to the top except by bush-bashing through.

"Units fan out." Karl ordered, deciding the best approach would be by giving each individual some distance, that way if there was some hazard hidden underneath the foliage the entire unit wouldn't be compromised by it.

They climbed the ascension without much difficulty this time and surprisingly enough, without incident. Karl didn't know what he was expecting but recent events had taught him that this wasn't his lucky week. Or it was his luckiest week, depending on whether you saw the glass as full or prospectively empty.

As they reached close to the top of the mountainous plateau, the sun had sunken half way below the Blare Ridge ranges, casting an early sunset over the whole of Tivon Valley. With the sun at their backs the squad trudged up the last stretch of the slope before it flattened out into a densely wooded plateau.

"Keep your eyes open for anything out of the ordinary." Karl ordered as he paced forward and stood atop the exact point in space the navigator indicated was the last position the two Imperial Ligers had been before they ceased functioning.

The squadron broke formation and began to sweep the wooded plateau. The moment they started however, Karl realised it was in futility. While the zoid's movements were not impeded by the foliage, the visibility granted by the already failing light made the trees impossible to see through. The scanners on the Military Zaber Fang units were only equipped to scan for enemy zoids in proximity; they would not have sensors sensitive enough to search for smaller pieces of evidence. Not like there'd be any evidence anyway, the incident occurred over three years ago. Searching on foot in failing light was an even worse idea.

With a weary sigh, Karl cast his eyes over the dense foliage before him, feeling very tempted to just set the entire woodland alight.

He didn't know how to activate the scanner on the Diablo Tiger despite repeated tries with a "Scanner on" or "Activate scanners" the zoid remained unresponsive. Maybe he was just phrasing it wrong?

The only way he knew how to activate them was to set up a beacon and hope to high heaven he could wrestle the Tiger under control before it decimated his squadron. That was very risky.

On the other hand, the Diablo Tiger's sensor was made to scan for humanoids. This meant its scanners would be infinitely more sensitive than the combat settings of the Zaber Fang units.

Do the benefits outweigh the risks?

There's no guarantee there'd be anything at all here, and to activate it in such a manner will be exposing his men to an unnecessary risk. On the other hand if he did not try, they would not even be able to tell anything was out of the ordinary even if the entire landscape was littered with scrap.

That really means if he wanted to be thorough this risk was completely necessary.

"Sergeant Eichel."

"Yes sir?"

"I need you to take the squadron and position yourselves behind my zoid and get into defensive position."

"Yes sir."

Thank god for discipline. If it was Thomas he was sure he'd get a few questions and unnecessary suggestions.

With a quick efficiency Karl opened a side compartment below the accelerator controls on his right and removed an emergency supplies kit much identical to the one he lost a little over a week ago. With a slight wince he cut his thoughts off right there and picked out a distress beacon. Karl pondered momentarily whether it was a good idea to set the beacon off in the Diablo Tiger itself. Well he was about to find out.

With a flick of a switch, the entire machine shuddered, the Diablo flinched badly and shrunk in on itself with its back arched. Karl turned the beacon off as quickly as possible and grabbed a hold of the controls as the Diablo turned around to face the clustered Zaber Fangs. Karl reigned in the Diablo Tiger before it could take a single step with a "whoa!"

That went better than expected.

The scanners activated, right on cue and Karl stowed away his provisions, turning to a tracker screen set up much like a miniature version of a radar map.

"Spread out and resume searching."

"Yes sir!"

* * *

**Beep**

Karl's eye immediately fell onto the scanner screen. It picked up an irregular shape of metal upon the ground, something it had never done before. Maybe it had with Zeke but he had been otherwise disposed at that moment to pay it much notice.

The object appeared to be a metal construction embedded in the ground, as a seal of some description that appeared to connect to more metal that burrow deeper into the earth. A door and a tunnel complex maybe?

With a quick order Karl called his men to converge upon the area of the disturbance and proceeded to organise a ground team. He split two men from his charge of six to accompany him down to investigate, leaving Sergeant Eichel behind to take command of the remaining pilots in his absence. Though, they would not be out of radio contact with Karl since he wore the portable communicator Thomas had rigged up for him. The only real reason Eichel would have to take command is if Karl was otherwise incapacitated or dead.

He hoped it wouldn't come to that.

Placing the restraining bolt back in place Karl grabbed his hand gun from the side compartment and alighted from his zoid submerging beneath the leafy canopy of the dense forest. He placed his gun in its holster fastened to his hip on his right hand side as he met with the two soldiers. No pilot under his command carried assault rifles for they are difficult to stow and cumbersome to retrieve from the narrow compartments of the Iron Kong or Zaber Fang zoids.

The area the Diablo Tiger's scanners indicated appeared to the naked eye as any other part of this woodland may look, overgrown. There was very little chance Karl could have found this without actually looking for it. He pushed through the ferns and thickets and approached the inconspicuous garden beneath the root of an old tree.

Brushing aside the wild growth Karl uncovered the metal hatch, right were the Tiger said it would be. No wonder nobody has ever found this before, there would be no way to spot it flying over head, and by the off chance someone would climb all the way up here on a ground zoid, how could they see this by any means other than chance?

Drawing their guns, the ground squad encircled the hatch. Karl nodded and the soldiers pulled the hatch open, surprising them all, they expected it to be sealed. With guns pointed downwards, Karl peered over the edge, seeing only darkness. With another nod, the soldiers descended down the hatch with Karl bringing up the rear, it wasn't long before the stifling darkness engulfed his senses, bringing memories with it.

Focus, don't get distracted.

Distraction costs lives.

The fading light of the outside was but a hazy glow from above when the first soldier reached solid footing. With a flashlight out and handgun pointed forward he waited for the second soldier and the Colonel to join him. Two more beams of light joined his own.

Edging forward slowly, flashlights sweeping the path, the three made their way cautiously down the corridor, their steel shod boots making it impossible to be silent stalking down the metal paved corridor.

There was a distinct chill that gave the blackened hallway a crypt-like presence. The light reflected off the walls from the beam of the flashlight catching the puffs of misty breaths of the soldiers.

The squad moved swiftly down the hallway, flashlights scanning the floor, walls and roof, searching for traps or surveillance. They slowed as they approached the open blast door at the end of the hallway and began a more cautious approach. Beyond the door the darkness loomed like a solid wall, even the high powered beams from their military issue flashlights could not penetrate the dense gloom. As they stepped into the room, its vastness became quite apparent as the flashlight beam was immediately engulfed by the overbearing darkness. They became perpetually blind, and if not for their own breath sounding in their ears the world have felt completely silent as well.

One of the soldiers turned and shone the flashlight back the way they came to confirm they didn't just step into a dark hollow infinite. As his torch beam glanced over the doorframe it caught the gleam of a power switch mounted on the wall.

Catching the Colonel's eye, the soldier gestured with his torch to the offending object. Karl nodded, then realising in the dark the soldier couldn't see his gesture he raised his gloved hand, the hand holding the handgun, and in the light of his own flashlight waved the soldier an order of approach. The soldier moved in without hesitation, throwing the switch with the same hand he held the flashlight, the other holding a gun at the ready.

Light bleached the world stark white.

Karl shielded his eyes with his torch-hand, the glare making his eyes water, while holding his gun pointed with the other. Slowly the world came back into focus with a clinical starkness.

They were in a vast room, cast in stark white steel. The grey metallic floors were the only variation in the otherwise monochromatic room.

His gun still raised, Karl gave the area a sweep with his still-adjusting eyes. Slowly other shapes and colours began emerging. He suddenly realised it wasn't the floor that was the splotch of colour. Covering the expanse of the entire room were rows upon rows of what looked like grey sinks, only they were raised above the floor at about knee height and were curved like an egg cup in the middle. The floor was littered with debris, grey chips from the cup-sink structures or otherwise, some of the litter were of red glass that appeared shattered and oddly spread as if the centre of impact laid further inwards.

As Karl took the scene in, his eyes began picking out areas of interest to be explored. Three rows down and five across from where they're standing, there seems to be a structure with bits of red glass stuck out like jagged teeth. Presumably the original structures had been composed of the two materials fused together, but if that was the case, there was just not enough glass on the floor or anywhere else in the room for that matter.

They will start with there.

The squad cautiously approached the odd structure, torches now stowed away. Shards of glass that found themselves underfoot crunched with volume that set Karl's teeth on edge, even though he already knew whatever stealth they might have hoped with high beam flashlights and steel encrusted boots was already sadly lacking. As they finally passed the last set of structures concealing their target, they froze in their tracks, shocked into still-silence by the sight before them.

* * *

Alighting from a Climber Wolf onto a boarding platform in a Republic base hanger, Thomas breathed a sigh of relief as to finally be free of that primitive machine. There was so much wrong with it that there was no way to even begin, most importantly it was missing the crucial element, Beek. With Beek they could have calculated the best route to take and cut their travel time in half.

After their communication with the First Panzer Squad, Thomas, Van, Irvine and the organoid Zeke had held down the base while waiting for a Republican unit to arrive and take over securing the facility. The Republicans were then meant to hold it until an Imperial unit from the closest base arrive from the opposite side the next morning. They would then hand over the base to the Empire as both a sign of trust and cooperation. Thomas practically glowed with pride over how far the Empire and the Republic have gotten, all thanks to his brother... and some Republicans... Honestly it was nothing short of a miracle that he, an Imperial soldier, could stride down the corridor of a Republican base like this, with no escort, just a mere three years since the end of the war.

Thomas headed towards the briefing room, hoping to catch his brother back from his adventure, or at least update himself on Karl's wild goose chase. Seriously the last signs of those Zoids were from three years ago, what on earth possessed Karl to dash for the hills like that so close to sun down. Anything that could possibly be left after three years would surely wait another day.

The door to the briefing room opened for Thomas as he was greeted by two honour guards stationed outside of the door. Inside were Herman and Doctor D looking on as a technician displayed the data and blueprints of the two zoids Thomas and cohort recently discovered. Thomas entered and saluted Herman as he would if he greeted an Imperial officer of higher rank (and sometimes his brother, if he remembered, or was reminded) and was saluted in return.

"Lieutenant Schubaltz, I trust you found the experience of piloting a Republican Climber Wolf enjoyable."

"Ah, yes, it was... unique." Well what else could he say?

Apparently satisfied with the answer Herman turned back to the Display.

Thomas looked on as the technician brought up the data on the weaponry and core composition that he had sent from the mountaintop base. The engineering of this zoid was sheer brilliance, unlike the Climber Wolf. While all Ligers that naturally occur in the wild and produced by the Republic derive from generally the same Core, give or take a few modifications, the Liger Zeros have cores that were unlike anything ever created by the Empire or the Republic. They appeared to have been composed from the cores of the Geno-type zoids, fused with that of the Liger, a freakish hybrid if you will. This was then connected to a loop feeder to a processing unit with its cables looped around the core like a demented organoid, though that was exactly what it was meant to be. For the processing unit harboured one of the Beek systems, the same as one that was installed in the Diablo Tiger.

How depressing. A life-time's work only to find out someone had plagiarised it before it even left the ground. Sure it was sloppy and less refined, it was like Beek's retarded cousin, but that was little condolence.

"Colonel Herman, incoming message." A tech sitting by the communications consol said. His job was to open communications channels that were redirected by the com room, or if necessary, decode messages them as they come in.

"Very well, let's hear it."

This message was thankfully un-coded and required little effort for the tech to pass on.

"It is from the ground team sent to the imperial wreckage; they say they've secured the area and began redirecting caravans from the wreck-site. They await further orders about how they are to proceed."

Herman sighed and rubbed his temples while Thomas gave a start of surprise. What happened?

"Is Karl ok?" Thomas blurted out before he could stop himself.

Herman turned slightly and answered "Yes, he's fine. His entire squad is fine. There was another Imperial military unit discovered upon republican territory, fairly badly damaged, apparently without the knowledge of his Imperial superiors"

Thomas breathed a silent sigh of relief. Not that he doubted Karl for a second, but all this assassin business has him on edge.

Herman on the other hand was not so relieved. An Imperial machine, found dead on Republican land. He didn't even know where to start pointing the blame. For one thing this was a non-Guardian Force unit on Republican land without Republican authority and can thus be seen as a sign of aggression. On the other hand it was found in about twenty pieces on Republican land... That could also be seen as a sign of aggression...

This was a Diplomatic nightmare.

Thank goodness there was no dead pilot in the cockpit to add to his headache. Maybe an Imperial soldier got Zoid-jacked and has yet to report it in? He hoped that was the case, because the alternative was rather grim.

"Return a message." Herman ordered, "Tell them to just secure the area and not to mess around with the evidence. The Imperial investigation team will take over for them in approximately three hours." The Imperial team in question had left the First Panzer base approximately an hour previous by Whale King and was due to arrive at Tivon Valley Base within another half an hour. From there they would be processed and granted passes for their Zoids so they could be identified by any Republic patrol teams wanting verification. Colonel Schubaltz' squad did not need such formalities as he was a member of the Guardian Force and even if he didn't carry his own identification mod in his new zoid, he'll be hard pressed to find a single Republican soldier who couldn't recognise him on sight. Such is the fame of the most Republic-friendly high ranked officer in the Imperial army.

"Colonel Herman, incoming message from the First Panzer Squad."

Well speak of the devil...

"Right, receive."

An image file was received and unpacked. Herman glanced at it quizzically as the image was being decompressed. Slowly the image loaded, to the resounding shock of all those who stood witness.

As all the people in the room stood agape, Herman finally unstuck his jaw to form a question.

"What on Zi is that?"

* * *

Karl stood in grim acknowledgement of the shock everyone must have felt upon the sight of what now lay before him. The engineer whom he called down from the standing squad was beside him, filming with one of the cameras he brought as part of his forensics kit.

Nobody looked directly at the mess at the centre of the grey jutting structure edged by jagged red glass, nauseated at the implications of such a discovery.

For lying there, in the centre of that bowl-sink structure, so similar to the hundreds of others in the room, laid an organoid.

This however was like nothing Karl had ever seen, although he's only ever seen four Organoids in his entire life. This was also shaped like a lizard, like the other four had been. However unlike the other four it was much bulkier and lacked the exterior metallic coating.

Its bare wires were exposed and its cables pooled out of its chassis much like how the intestines would look on a disembowelled human cadaver. The supporting frame gleamed bare against its mess of internal hardware, small cables stretched across its skull-like head propping its jaws open in a mockery of a grin. Shards of red glass splayed over it suggesting the whole structure might have looked like a giant capsule, much like the ones he heard of actual Organoids being born from.

For this was not an actual organoid.

This was a man-made abomination.

No real organoid in existence today would be half-formed like this. All Organoids were created centuries ago as a pact to the Zoidians, an ancient race of humanoids who had lived on Planet Zi before the incursion of humans. These organic and intelligent machines had the ability to fuse with Zoid Cores and amplify their power, as well as enhance the weapons system and repair the organic metal of the Zoid chassis. When the Zoidians met their annihilation, the Organoids met a similar fate. The few who survived to this day were kept alive in Cryo-tubes and were preserved through the crisis, the organoid who were bonded with them were treated the same way. Many of those Organoids did not survive, even less of the Zoidians did, for it was human greed that drove many to seek these legendary Organoids out and the Zoidians attached were... unnecessary. Karl frowned solemnly down at the mock Organoid, human greed yet again grinning madly from its deformed face. Was this what he was supposed to find all along? Was this what the clues left for him had been pointing to?

Whatever the reason, this raises more questions than answers.

Who was it made for? The Imperials or the Republics? Or could it be neither?

What was it made for? Just general human greed? Or something much more sinister?

How many more of them could there be? Judging by the number of these structures in the room there could be dozens... if this was indeed the only facility manufacturing them.

What stage of completion would they be at? If this Organoid's glass tube was broken after the disappearance of the two Imperial Ligers then they've had three years since to further develop them. But wait a minute, wouldn't the reason the Ligers were called here in the first place be because they followed the signal of the pulse emitted through organoid fusion? So it could be very possible they were complete back then. Maybe the signals he had been chasing earlier been one of these... no it would certainly have been one of these if his reasoning was correct.

This brings it to the last and most important question.

Where on earth will they have moved them all?

"Colonel Schubaltz," Sergeant Eichel's voice sounded in Karl's earpiece, "We have a communications request from Tivon Valley Base."

"Patch it through." Karl pressed a finger on the earpiece and turned his back to the disturbing sight.

The first voice that greeted him from the Republican base was not Herman, but Doctor D.

"So I hear you've found something interesting, please explain."

Karl was getting used to the fact that Doctor D spoke for the Republicans more often than their actual commanding officer.

Karl set out to explain the process by which they found this bunker facility and the implications of the discovery. There was more he needed to tell them for them to get the complete picture, but that would have to wait till they were behind closed doors with no chance of being eaves-dropped on.

Herman responded to this with arrangements for another contingence of Republican soldiers to be sent to secure this area, although this group would be travelling from another Republic Base a little further south. Since Tivon Valley Base had already dispatched two units of men to secure other areas earlier this day they no longer had the man power to secure this new location as well as maintain the mandatory minimal number of staff on base. They were beginning to flesh out the logistical arrangements of more imperial numbers coming in when the coms started to drop.

"Colo- altz we- roblems!" Sergeant Eichel's voice sounded through barely audible.

Karl's eyebrows pinched as he pressed a finger on the earpiece holding it more firmly to his ear. "Sergeant Eichel! Report! What is the matter? Tivon Valley Base! Come in!" Karl paused for a moment, listening intently, but all he got was a mute buzzing, not even proper static. This wasn't so much interference as a complete communications blackout. He turned to the soldiers standing behind him, frozen in place, staring.

"Leave your gear, we're going back up. Fast!"

Sensing the urgency behind the order, the soldiers left the camera and the engineer's equipment behind. They held ready their weapons and proceeded to move swiftly back through the hallway, heading for the ladder leading up to the surface.

As Karl emerged from the bunker, he was immediately plunged back into darkness. Night had fallen in earnest and emerging from the now-lit tunnel caused their eyes to suffer temporary blindness. Karl strained his ears in the unnatural silence as his eyes slowly adjusted, realising that through the trees there was no moonlight to see by.

He breathed in the sharp cold air, barely stopping himself from shivering, it couldn't be that long past sunset and already the temperature dropped this sharply.

Feeling soft icy touches to his cheeks he raised his hand and wiped the spot. It was wet. And as he stood he could feel more of the cold light touches of water against his skin. He switched on the flashlight and swept it along the ground and to his mute surprise, noticed a fine layer of powdered snow that escaped the canopies. What's going on?

Three flashlight beams joined his own as his men emerged from the manhole to take in this ludicrous sight. This mountain was by no means anywhere tall enough to suffer unseasonal snow like this. What were the odds of such a thing occurring? Randomly? At the same time as the communication dropout?

There was only one logical conclusion to come to.

Jamming snow.

Which can only mean bad news.

Spinning on his heels Karl directed his light to where he had left the rest of his squad. As the torch light fell onto the area, a brilliant whiteness reflected back, showing him a greater covering of snow over an un-sheltered clearing and a cluster of fallen trees. Sprawled over the trees was a massive dark shape. Karl approached with a heavy heart as he knew what this was. The lifeless carcass of one Imperial Zaber Fangs from his squad lay sprawled before him, sporting surprisingly little damage. A small jagged tear on its torso was all Karl could see at first glance.

He approached the knee-deep snow and proceeded to trudge towards the cockpit, still relying on his torch for light. The cloud covering created by the jamming snow obscured any ambient light the moon might have provided. As he approached the Zaber Fang's head, he was relieved to note that it was still very much intact, and very much bolted shut. Nobody ejected!

Climbing onto the cheek strip of the zoid he Shone his light right through the eye of the Zaber Fang catching sight of the soldier sitting inside, still alive, and pounding silently against the hatch door. He was trapped. When he finally recognised Karl against the glare of the flashlight, he attempted to shout something. Realising Karl could not hear through the double planed bullet proof glass he began motioning wildly towards the side, mouthing the word "Run."

Karl did a double take as he heard a heavy crunching behind him, the sound of a branch snapping under the weight of something far heavier than a human.

Spinning around on the spot Karl pointed his flashlight into the blackened gloom of the shade of canopies. With a feeling of dread he realised the presence was much closer than he had originally guessed, and he slowly turned his head to meet a set of glowing golden eyes, hovering just beside him.

With a start Karl leapt sideways, falling off the Zaber Fang's head and onto the padding snow. He dropped his gun and torch spun out of his hand, landing slanted, handle first into the deep soft snow. The torch beam shone through a thin layer of snow crystals, scattering its light dimly around the clearing.

Karl cast his eyes around spotting the little pit in the snow where his gun had fallen through, but before he could even move a great metallic claw descended on his chest, causing him to sink deep into the ice and winding him. The glowing yellow eyes appeared above him, observing him without emotion or curiosity. The soft scattered light touched the surface of the creature and Karl could finally see its bulky bronze form, its narrow lizard-like beak lined with serrated teeth and its sharp curving claws that tipped the foot pressing down against his chest, pinning him to the snow.

Against his own ragged breaths and the pounding blood sounding in his ears amplified by the slowly melting snow packed around his head, he heard the panicked shouts of his men and the opening of gunfire. He struggled futilely against the weight pinning him to the ground, trying to shout for everyone to run and find help but only managing a weak croaking voice. The pressure against his chest increased in response, pushing him further under the snow and causing him to cough and choke as he struggled to breathe.

"Now now, you'll kill him. We can't have that."

The pressure eased off Karl's chest as he gasped for breath, not quite knowing if the muffled human voice he heard was real or imagined.

"After all, I don't want him to die so easily."

A figure appeared beside the creature pinning Karl.

A man with short dark hair and dark eyes, with a green crescent clan tattoo under his right eye.

The man Serenity had warned him about...was a man Karl knew.

The man smiled his cocky smile as Karl's breath slowly evened out. "Hello Schubaltz. Missed me?"

Clenching his jaw to still his rapid breathing, all Karl could do was mutter in an oath.

"Ralph."

* * *

A/N: Enjoy your week! BAHAHAHA! I'm sorry. I'm a horrible person. xD


	17. Capture

Another week another chapter.

Thank you to randomcat23 for being my first and only reviewer. Ralph is the main antagonist from Zoids chaotic century episode 28: Heroes of the sky. In that episode he called Rudolph an imposter and tried to kill him by sending out black Redlers while having Karl restrained. It was the episode that most portrayed Karl as a great hero and thusly my favourite! I have a full out description of Ralph at the end of this chapter, check it out if you still can't remember who he is.

Now on with the show!

**The title picture** **I drew for this fanfic is linked on my profile page**. Please take a look for a visual on Ren and the Diablo Tiger.

Disclaimer: I do not own Zoids or any of the characters in relation.

Thanks to DuskStarDragon, Darkrad and Darkened-Storm for Beta-ing my work.

Darkened-Storm's fic is Zoids: Rebirth Century, another fic based around a failed assassination attempt lol.

DuskStarDragon's fic is A Bounty hunter's Gentleman, another Karl fic.

* * *

Affinity

Chapter 17: Capture

It was _**freezing**_!

Sure it was night in the desert but it wasn't meant to be _**this**_ cold!

Serenity clenched her jaw in a futile attempt to stop her teeth from chattering. Utterly exhausted she cast her eyes ahead she could see the mountain ranges looming in front of her, with no civilisation in sight.

It was no good, she can't last much longer like this. She could feel the biting chill even through her many layers, she wore her pilot jacket over her casual clothes and sincerely wished she brought more. She'd have to make camp here and start a fire quickly; very soon her fingers will be too frozen to handle the tinderbox. As she settled her Liger down, she opened the hatch and felt the full hit of the frosty air. Of all the times she had camped outside she had never felt it quite like this.

Huffing into her cupped palms Serenity attempted to breathe life into her frozen fingers until they finally had enough feeling to strike a spark into some coal she had salvaged from an emergency supply kit. The emergency supply kit she had taken off Karl over a week ago, which was then lost when the Diablo Tiger stepped on it.

She built her fire in a little lea between the shoulder and torso of her zoid, hoping to keep the heat in a close as confinement as possible. She put her hands as close to the fire as she could without burning them, feeling them painfully un-numb. Still shivering hard she watched the vapours from her breath condense thickly by the light of the fire. This was no good, she didn't bring a blanket, or a tent, or any camping supplies of any sort. The fire was too small and she was too drained from the cold to venture out to search for more firewood. She won't be able to fall asleep tonight if she hoped to survive till morning.

How did it ever come to this? Her, sitting alone in the freezing desert, with no supplies, no shelter and nobody to help her.

She turned her gaze up to the heavens in a silent prayer to the gods of Zi. The pitch black night glared back at her, no moon hung in the sky and not even the twinkle of a star broke the monotonous blackness. A great hopelessness like that of which she had never felt before engulfed her like the pitch blackness that surrounded the glow of her campfire. Darkness more stifling than she even felt when she had been trapped underground, for then, she had Karl.

Shaking now, as much from the cold as from her uncontrollable hopeless sorrow she huddled miserably against the freezing metal of her Liger, feeling jagged metal stick into her back. Her zoid was a wreck.

She's alone, coinless and her zoid's a wreck!

Even if she made it through the night she had no future.

Leaning her head against the broken chassis she closed her eyes, allowing the fatigue to envelope her. This was the end of the line, and she'll face it like Karl did, in the suffocating darkness of a time gone by.

**Crack**

A sound broke through the darkness.

Serenity's eyes snapped open as an eerie yowl, a familiar yowl, called through the darkness beyond the veil of light cast by her campfire.

Quickly putting out the fire, Serenity huddled in the freezing nook of her zoid, blinking rapidly to get rid of the fire glare. As the bright spots in her eyes slowly condensed, two large red lights hovered before her. Two large red eyes, glaring at her through the darkness.

Standing slowly, not believing her eyes she approached the still form of a crouching Demon that had hunted her in the darkness not so long ago.

The cockpit hatch opened. A brilliant white light spilled from within, no longer muffled by the red glass. Just like when Karl needed help, it came. The Diablo Tiger came to save her.

With a grin she climbed into the pilot seat, savouring the warmth as the hatch door closed and the restraint bar lowered into place. She observed with a muted interest that the zoid was moving again. To where she didn't know, and didn't care. Whether it was the soothing warmth, or the rhythmic rocking of the moving zoid, she soon found herself fast asleep.

* * *

This was a diplomatic nightmare.

First the Imperial zoid wreckage on the fringes of the Republican boarder, now they lose a whole Imperial squadron within Republican land. Well... normally having a squadron drop out of radio contact within mountains was not something to panic about, unfortunately this was not normal circumstances. Colonel Schubaltz was allowed to go into Republican territory, with Republican permission, unescorted, even though it was known that he already had one assassination attempt against him. This was a great oversight on behalf of the Republic and if something were to happen...

Herman paced up and down, his footsteps echoing on the grate of the vibrating floor. As the officer responsible and a friend, Herman will see to it that they do everything possible to find the First Panzer Squadron.

The moment the communications line between Tivon Valley and the First Panzer squad cut out Herman ordered preparations to be made for the Guardian Force to move out. He even went as far as to request that Lieutenant Schubaltz, the highest ranking Imperial soldier at hand, give permission for the Guardian Force to utilise the Imperial Whale King they had arrived in. Thomas didn't need much convincing for he was just as knotted about Karl as Herman was.

Maybe it's nothing. Maybe wild weather just dampened their transmission signal, in which case Colonel Schubaltz was sure to be grateful that they came to pick him up.

Yes that was probably it...

Herman paused in mid pace to rub his temples, wearily casting his eyes to the rest of the Guardian Force. They stood on the command Deck of the Whale King, the normally spectacular view of the land below was engulfed by the inky blackness of night. Thomas was pacing in his own little corner, looking every bit as worried as Herman felt, as all of them felt probably.

Herman cast his eyes over the navigation equipment by the pilots who sat on a lower level of the command deck, it was the only way the pilots could fly by as they had no visual on the land below. Herman noted by the position the navigator said they were it would probably be another ten minutes.

With a strained sigh Herman resigned to a half-hearted stare out to the darkness of the land below.

* * *

Serenity awoke groggily as she was assaulted by the freezing air once again. She instinctively reached for the blankets, only to find she had none. Of course there wouldn't be any blankets on the Diablo Tiger...

She awoke with a start. That's right, she was in the Diablo Tiger, where was she now?

With a sigh of relief she realised she was still sitting in the cockpit, only strangely, she was no longer fastened into the seat and the cockpit hatch was open, showing she was at ground level. The light from the cockpit was spilling out onto thick blankets of snow that covered the area. Dear lord... so that's why it was so damned cold, it was snowing!

Attempting to close the hatch from the inside without much success, Serenity grew more and more frustrated. She was hardly dressed for survival in these conditions and if the Diablo Tiger saved her in the freezing desert, only to evict her in the freezing snow, it had a morbid sense of humour indeed.

It was only then did Serenity remember one important detail about the Diablo Tiger she should have realised from the start. The Empire had captured it.

If so what was it doing out here?

Serenity stared out of the cockpit, into the snowy clearing surrounded by thick canopied trees, lit by a dim soft light. Her eyes picked out the prone form of a large zoid sprawled upon broken trunks of fallen trees, covered by a fine layer of powdered snow. She didn't know how she knew, but at that moment she realised she was looking at the form of an Imperial Zaber Fang. Déjà Vu. With a muffled swear she kicked the dashboard of the Diablo Tiger. She was in enough trouble, and it brought her to ground zero of another Imperial assault? It probably attacked it itself! And now it brought her to it like a cat proudly displaying its recent slaughter of small furry creatures.

It was only as she calmed down did she realise that something was not right with the scene. How could the light from the cockpit extend that far into the clearing? Serenity slowly realised that there was another source of light. A light buried lightly within the snow, cascading a dim glow throughout the clearing.

Was this what the Diablo Tiger took her out here to find?

Serenity slid out of the cockpit and sunk knee deep into the snow, feeling the uncomfortable bite of the freezing slush slowly melt into her pant legs. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to conserve as much heat as possible as she slowly trudged to the odd light source glowing within the snowy bank.

As she approached she noticed many irregularities within the snow. She could just make out what could be the head shape in the impression in the snow, sunk very deeply, the rest of it could be where the body was, but for the life of her she couldn't figure out what the tracks leading up to and moving away from it belonged to. There was three tracks, one two of them looked like they belonged to very skinny people trudging through the snow, walking exactly parallel with each other, the other one looked the same as the tracks she left. Maybe that one belonged to a human? Maybe to the same one who had laid here? Maybe he just got up and walked away?

That would be too much to hope for wouldn't it?

And it would be.

Because it was at that moment Serenity's heart leapt to her mouth as she noticed the small dark shape lying in the snow, not too far away from the impression of the human body. An imperial officer's cap.

A cap that brings to mind only one man.

* * *

"Approaching peak." The pilot announced as the Whale King decelerated.

Herman squinted into the darkness, "that's odd."

"What is?" Thomas asked as he stood beside Herman on the rails of the upper command deck.

"I see a glow coming from over there."

Thomas stared at the area Herman indicated. As the Whale King approached Thomas spotted it too, the glow stood out like a... well like a light in the darkness.

"I think that's where we want to go." Herman muttered.

Thomas nodded grimly.

Why did this feel so ominous?

As they approached Herman ordered for the searchlights to be switched on. With a muted surprise they realised the entire plateau was white with a coating of snow. So it was just wild weather? Herman felt a premature relief that things might be alright after all, that was until the light fell upon the area lit up by the glow, and spotted the wrecked Zaber Fangs strewn about. With the Diablo Tiger sitting snugly by one of them, hatch open to show that sitting in its pilot seat was not Karl, but a slight dark haired figure, clad in tan.

* * *

"Close you piece of crap!" Serenity kicked the dashboard of the Diablo Tiger with as much force as she could muster.

The moment she spotted the Whale King she made a dash for the Diablo Tiger, hoping it had reconsidered taking her out of there. She had sat in the cockpit hitting every button she could reach, trying to get the hatch to close. The light pouring from the cockpit would catch their attention, just close the damned hatch!

Her eyes were bleached white as a searchlight fell over her, it was too late. Maybe she could make a run for it? As she shifted in her seat the restraint bar fell over her head and latched in place. She swore loudly as she struggled to free herself. Why the hell would it do that?

A loud crunch could be heard, indicating the Whale King just flattened the trees of the entire Plateau with its landing, its headlights still shone directly at Serenity.

Unable to move she held up her hands in surrender, only then realising she still had Karl's hat gripped tightly in her right hand.

Two zoids approached, silhouetted in the blinding light.

"What did you do to him?" the voice of Karl's brother screamed through the com.

"I didn't do anything..." Serenity muttered meekly, barely audible, staring at the Dibison that stood like a silhouette against the stark light, every gun on board pointed directly at her.

* * *

Karl awoke to a pounding headache. As he slowly opened his eyes a wave of nausea hit him.

What happened? Why does his head hurt so? Where is he?

As his eyes adjusted he became dimly aware that things weren't coming to focus. Little spots of light danced before his eyes.

Karl tried to sit up only to realise his hands were tied behind his back, and dead numb. Karl struggled to turn himself on his side, feeling very much like a beached Hammer Head. The motion set the room spinning again forcing Karl to close his eyes and rested his temple against the cool stone floor. He slowly turned himself to lie on his belly ignoring the lurch he felt beneath his temples and the painful pressure against his chest. He lay there like that for a few moments, allowing his arms to painfully regain feeling and his head to stop swimming. Only when he was sure he didn't feel like throwing up anymore did Karl slowly crack open his eyes. The first thing he saw was blood, smeared across the ground where his head had lain. Turning his eyes upwards, he caught sight of a burry outline of his fringe; the left side soaked in what he could guess was his blood.

He was hit on head, really hard, but he couldn't remember how.

No wait... he could remember something...

He was in the snow. Yes he remembered that.

He was lying in the snow... no wait, sitting. He pulled himself up into a sitting position. Then before he could get up, something that looked like a great bronze piece of metal swung around to make contact with the side of his head.

He couldn't remember much more after that.

Taking a deep breath, Karl propped himself up on his shoulder, ignoring the pain across his chest, and slid his knees under him to push himself into a kneeling position. His head swam with the effort as he sat on his hunches, breathing deeply willing the room to stop spinning.

It was then he finally noticed he was not the only occupant in this room.

A dark bronze creature stood immobile on the other side of the room, by the door, staring at him with its golden eyes. Karl froze in place, not willing to move in case he provoked it.

This was the first time he saw it clearly. The bronze creature, resembling a metallic lizard standing firmly on its hind legs, looking exactly like how an organoid would, only it stood slightly taller, and much bulkier, leaving no doubt in Karl's mind that this is the finished form of what lay within that shattered capsule in that hidden base.

While an Organoid such as Zeke was sleek and refined, this organoid resembled a metallic patchwork, its shell bound together with poorly hidden bolts. It looked like an unrefined organoid prototype.

Karl knelt there, thinking hard through his slowly abating headache how he could even begin to get out of this mess.

Maybe it wasn't awake...

Cautiously Karl struggled to his feet, crouching low. He slowly stood up, eyes still on the organoid, but before he could pull himself straight the organoid sprang to life, covering the distance between them in a split second and snapped its jaws threateningly before his Karl's face. He stumbled backwards, thrown off balance by a combination of dizziness and shock, his back hitting the wall jolting pain through his entire body.

He sat there, back pressed to the wall, slightly winded and breathing heavily, eyes glued to the now animated Organoid. It stood hunched with its spines standing up rimming its head like a crown. It snarled at him, snapping its jaws threateningly, its serrated teeth gleaming like a row of steak knives.

"Down boy!" A voice commanded from the other side of the room. "You were meant to tell me when he's awake, not put him back to sleep again."

Karl's eyes didn't leave the bared teeth, mere centimetres from his face. Only when the thing flattened its spined crests, tucking it behind its neck and took a few steps back did Karl tear his eyes away to acknowledge the man outlined in the open door. Karl's eyes could not adjust properly and he just sat there staring, unable to recognise who he was looking at.

"What's this? Don't you recognise your old pal from Officer's Academy? I'm mortified Schubaltz."

With a start Karl finally realised who he was looking at. Ralph, an ex-officer in the Imperial Army and a friend of Karl's from back when he had been training at the Academy. After the war he had been charged with wilful treason at the court martial hearing, Karl himself had presented crucial evidence in that trial. But justice was not to be served, for he escaped and not long after that he had attempted to subvert the peace yet again by stealing two classified Republican Storm Sworder zoids. However...

"Ralph? But... you're dead!"

"Happy to see me alive and well old friend?"

"You lost the right to call me a friend the moment you betrayed the Empire!" Karl spat venomously.

Ralph feigned a hurt expression. "You wound me so Schubaltz, did our friendship mean so little to you?" A shadow fell over his features. "After all you sold me out so easily and had me condemned to death. For what? Position? Power?"

"You deserved no less!"

"And there you go again, with your judgemental righteousness. I can see these few years have not brought you back to reality."

"You-!" Karl struggled to gain his feet only to get hit by another wave of dizziness.

"My how the mighty have fallen. How does it feel to have your life being held by someone you once considered a friend?"

Karl gritted his teeth, unable to respond through his seething fury.

He heard the news; everyone did, when Ralph had escaped from right under the Empire's nose. It was believed to have been inside help, for nobody could have broken out by themselves from the military death's row cells. When Karl had heard Ralph had been killed by the Baron of Wings Rosso in an aerial dogfight, he had been relieved. Not because he was ashamed of himself; he was ashamed he had ever called Ralph a friend.

However here he stood, Ralph, alive and well. The smile faded from his face as Karl did not respond. He made a flicking motion with his hand and the Organoid that had stood silently watching this exchange approached and opened its jaw. For a second there Karl thought it was going to kill him, causing him to blanch and to tense back against the wall. The jaws closed over his shoulder, firmly but surprisingly gently, pulling him up to a standing position. Karl stood there swaying but keeping his feet.

Ralph, looking satisfied, headed out the door, Karl followed after he was nudged roughly into motion by a bronze metallic tail.

Karl followed Ralph through a corridor made of stone. Not a single window broke the monotony of the wall, Karl could not even confirm what time of day it was.

They walked through the corridor into a larger room than the one Karl was kept in. Much larger. It was the size of a hanger... Actually, it was a hanger. Dozens of zoids lined the floor, most of them of Imperial design, all of them of artificial nature, and as far as Karl could see, every one of them had a modification to the base of their torso that looked like a small built in hatch. As his eyes roamed through the rows of Zoids his eyes fell on two that stood from the crowd. The only two Ligers in the collection of zoids.

"Impressed?" Ralph inquired smugly as Karl stood agape at the Liger Zero Empire and X standing side by side towards the edge closest to them. The Liger Zero X towered over Karl, looking every way its diagram had promised. "I can see your taste in zoids has improved over these last few years at least."

"The Liger Zeros..." Karl muttered under his breath, unable to believe everything he had been searching for has lead him to this point.

"Oh? You are acquainted? But I shouldn't be surprised; after all, you have been trying to research this for the past three years."

Karl's eyes snapped back to Ralph, surprise evident on his face.

"How do I know of this? Let's just say I have eyes and ears everywhere in the Empire and beyond."

"So that's why you tried to kill me!" Karl growled.

"Don't flatter yourself." Ralph smirked, "I tried to kill you for more... personal reasons. You wouldn't have figured this out in a million years. You've never been very good at thinking outside the box. It was only by sheer luck that you found the Diablo Tiger when you did. But I'll admit, I'm glad you didn't die. I like this result much better."

Two more demented Organoids stepped out into the open, both looking identical to the one flanking Karl, both grinning their toothy death's head grin.

"But Schubaltz, for the sake of our old friendship, I'll give you a chance. I know you are compatible with those two zoids much like I am with these Organoids. I want you to open the pilot registration for me and add another file in."

"I highly doubt you'd let me live, even if I do." Karl returned scathingly.

"You're right of course, I won't let you live. But I'll let your men live."

"Colonel!" A shout rang from across the hanger as a group of men flanked by half a dozen Organoids walked into sight. One made a start to rush forward, but was threatened back by the snapping snarl of one of the organoid guards. They marched to a stop in front of Karl and Ralph. With a sigh of relief Karl realised that all six of his men were alive and accounted for. Upon seeing their Colonel up close a look of horror crossed their faces, Karl guessed that in his bloodied and dishevelled state he looked less than presentable. None of his soldiers had a mark on them, it must have been only he who felt the brunt of Ralph's displeasure.

"What guarantee do I have that you'll let them go?" Karl muttered resignedly.

"You can be assured they will be freed, as readily as they will be killed if you do not comply." At those words the Organoids surrounding the men bared their teeth in anticipation.

"Alright!" Karl gave in quickly. "I'll do it. Untie me."

"Why Schubaltz, you don't need your hands. You just need your voice." With a jerk of his head the three Organoids flanking Karl lead him in the direction of a series of consoles.

"And remember!" Ralph called after him, sickeningly cheerfully. "Try anything funny and the blood of these men is on your hands!"

* * *

"You expect me to believe you had _nothing_ to do with this?"

"I really didn't do anything!"

Thomas stood on the cheek strip of the Diablo Tiger. The moment he realised that the Tiger was frozen in place, Thomas threw caution to the wind and exited his Dibison so that he could question her face to face. Van still sat in his Blade Liger though, watching uncharacteristically silently at the proceedings.

Thomas now held Karl's hat and waved it in Ren's face accusingly. "Are you saying, you had nothing to do with this, even though you were caught with my brother's hat on your person's?"

"Yes! I found that hat in the snow!"

"A likely story."

With a despairing glance Serenity's eyes wandered to where the impression in the snow had been, now completely destroyed by the great Dibison tracks that waded haphazardly through it.

"Look! I wasn't here when this happened! Until a while ago I had been freezing to death in a damaged Shield Liger on the plains of Tivon Valley!"

"I still don't believe you."

Serenity sighed. "No I don't think you will..."

"Look! I'm growing impatient at these games! All I want to know is where my brother is!"

"I would like to know that too. I would never have tried to harm him again. Not just because I know I can't match his skills."

"... I don't believe you."

Van sighed as he watched banter fly back and forth as inefficiently as he ever was while questioning Raven.

"Thomas." Van called through his com. "It's late and it's cold. Just take her aboard the Whale King and we'll proceed from there."

Thomas paused for a moment, looking very annoyed, then slowly and wearily he relented. After all having him or the suspect freeze to death out here would not get them any closer to finding Karl.

"Alright. Get out of the cockpit." Thomas ordered.

"I would if I could." Serenity shot back. "But if you haven't noticed I've been stuck here for the past twenty minutes."

Thomas casually hit the bar release button at the front of the consol.

"I've tried that." Serenity sighed. "I wouldn't be sitting here freezing if I could help it."

"Hey Thomas! Why don't you try talking to it! Maybe it'll respond to your voice too!"

"I've already tried! It doesn't!"

"Well... I'm out of ideas, good luck!"

Thomas rolled his eyes, fat help Van is.

Thomas dropped the hat on the dashboard and leant in trying to adjust the restraining bolt with no result. That's strange, the light should have turned off and the power to the restraint bar switched off. Sliding off the mandible of the Diablo Tiger, Thomas retreated a few steps so he could get a better view of the bolt clasped around the torso. To his shock and horror the remainder of the bolt that encircled the zoid bore what looked like small claw marks and had been completely drilled through. The circuit was broken, the bolt no longer worked.

"Get out of there!" Thomas called.

Serenity gave a slight start of surprise at the urgency of the order then felt a sudden jolt. The Diablo Tiger finally groaned back to life. The hatch closed as it pulled itself up. Thomas made a run for it to his Dibison as the Blade Liger crouched in anticipation, but before it could take so much as a step forward, the Diablo Tiger turned heel and fled over and across the plateau. It paused expectantly on the edge overlooking the Western drop, turned back with a yowl and dropped over the edge.

"I'll go after it!" Van called as he pushed his Blade Liger to a run, not able to activate boosters in such thick foliage.

Thomas sat dumbstruck in the seat of his Dibison. Beek beeped advice into his ears and Thomas had to agree, he could never catch up to Van or the Diablo Tiger in his Dibison. All he could do was return to the Whale King and have it readied to launch and follow.

* * *

"It's not responding! I don't think it works that way!"

"Then make it work!"

Karl tried desperately for the last half an hour, to get the registration system to open. It responded to his voice as they had expected, but it would not respond to his vocal commands.

"Look, I don't think there's a way to change the registration. And even if there was, I wouldn't know how. I don't know anything about this system!"

"Then how about we get your brother here and ask him?" Ralph said with a note of venom in his voice.

"You keep your hands off Thomas!" Karl snarled, attempting to approach Ralph but was kept back by an Organoid sentry.

"Ha..." Ralph smiled mirthlessly, shaking his head. "You are ever the disappointment Schubaltz. You can't even do this much..."

As he said that the Organoids flanking the First Panzer soldiers stirred, bearing their teeth expectantly at the prospect of blood.

"I don't want your brother, I'm not a psychopath. Nor do I want the lives of your men." Ralph said casually as he pulled out a pistol. "The only thing I want is your life."

"Fine. Take it."

"Oh no, I don't want it that easily."

Ralph turned his back to Karl and approached the soldiers huddled together, raising the gun. "You see, even if you boys were to live, it's too late for you do anything that could change what is about to happen. And frankly, what can you do? I have the backing of many powerful people. For after tonight, the balance of power shall shift."

He cocked the gun, the click echoing through the hanger.

"So you powerless people, I shall give you one chance to survive."

With a swift hand motion he switched the gun, offering it handle first to the confused soldiers.

"Kill your Colonel, and all of you may live."

* * *

A/N: Have another nice week! BAHAHA! I love doing this! xD

Episode note(spoilers warning): Major Ralph only made two episode appearances, once in episode 29 Heroes of the Sky and episode 45 (aka season 2 episode 11) The Wings of Darkness where he and his subordinate Mueller had hijacked two Republican Storm sworder Stealth under the influence of Hiltz. In this battle Ralph had been shown to cut down many characters, all of whom survived and returned in later episodes, however in the end of this ep Ralph himself was cut down by Rosso and Rudolf in one of the original Storm Sworders. Rosso had swerved around avoiding Ralph's Sworder's head blade to cut him down with his own inserted through Ralph's Storm Sworder's head just past the blade mount, and sliced through the rest of the body. He cut the head so he cut the cockpit right? So Ralph must be dead? Lol well actually (conspiracy theory time), if you watched the loading scenes of the pilots into the Storm Sworders, you'd see them load in through the mouth and the pilot seat is tucked under the blade mount. Rosso's cut was too far up the head to cut into the cockpit and as we all know in anime, if you don't show them die, they're hypothetically alive. (Reminisce back to Rosso and Viola)

Medical Fact- Concussions are a form of brain damage that occurs due to trauma to the head. A person suffering from a concussion can experience temporary symptoms such as headache, dizziness, temporary amnesia, nausea and reduced-cognition, even temporary blindness. Permanent damage can occur such as emotional instabilities and reduced logical processing ability, even permanent memory loss (As far as I can tell... hitting them on the head again do not cure amnesia, it just gives them another concussion). This is because for some odd reason there are two very sharp bones to the front of a person's skull, just in front of the emotional and processing part of the brain and positioned such that when a person's brain is sloshed forward due to getting hit on the back or front of the head, or having themselves jerk to a sudden stop from a high velocity, their brain flies forwards and impales itself upon these bones. Needless to say, this is very detrimental to the brain. As my neurology lecturer always says "There is no such thing as a mild concussion."

He also says "It's not the fall that kills you; it's the sudden stop at the end." Not really relevant but I thought you guys might find it as amusing as I did... lol.


	18. Price

A/N: Listening to "Sons of War" and "Heart of Courage" by Two Steps from Hell as I write this, oddly appropriate name. Can seriously feel the energy! You can find it on YouTube. Listen to it! I dare yah!

Thank you to Randomcat23 for being the first reviewer. Lol well I suppose it's a given that I wouldn't kill Karl... but it was the principle that counts! But considering the fact that I find happy endings over rated...

To Darkened-Storm: Great cliff-hanger or not I still don't feel like I accomplished what I was going for... hrrrr. And about the possible sequel... I'm still not fully convinced I'd wanna do one... We'll poll the readers in the end and figure out if a sequel would be a good idea...

Nearing the end, can you believe it? I wouldn't know what to do with my newfound spare time... Maybe I should get a life? Does Walmart sell those?

**The title picture** **I drew for this fanfic is linked on my profile page**. Please take a look for a visual on Ren and the Diablo Tiger.

Disclaimer: I do not own Zoids or any of the characters in relation.

Thanks to DuskStarDragon, Darkrad and Darkened-Storm for Beta-ing my work.

Darkened-Storm's fic is Zoids: Rebirth Century, another fic based around a failed assassination attempt lol.

DuskStarDragon's fic is A Bounty hunter's Gentleman, another Karl fic.

* * *

Affinity

Chapter 18: Price

Within the boundaries of the Republic exists a small town carved into the face of a mountain lea near where the rocky barriers fold. The path that edged the inside of the mountains looped at the fold creating two paths running almost parallel to each other and a sheer drop in between. Most people that know of this town's existence know it only as a small settlement that travellers could stop to resupply at as they moved through the mountain. What they did not know was that it housed outlaws, bandits and dealt in underground bounties to mercenaries looking for jobs that turn a larger coin. Normally, regular travellers would not be harried by these brigands for it was an unspoken agreement by all to keep this set up away from authority. This was the best kept secret within the Republic to date.

However little did they know a deadly shadow cast over them from the rocky overhanging of the mountain above, watching them closely with anticipation for a sign only it can tell.

Growling slightly, the watcher shifted upon the edge of the rocky outcrop, the movement of its black claws causing rocks to chip from the edge and plummet over the side. Its blue eyes scanned the small town, not missing a single detail, even in the dark of night, for its eyes were far superior than that of a human's. It shifted slightly, turning its eyes away from the town to glance behind, after all it was left with two responsibilities, and failure to fulfil either one would be detrimental to say the least. With a slight hum to itself it turned its gaze back to the town, satisfied that its charge, the Geno Breaker was alright.

When the time comes, the Geno Breaker will descend upon the town with Shadow in its heart.

* * *

_Ok... act natural._

Van took a deep breath as he pushed open the door to the bar. The entire establishment fell silent the moment he stepped in.

_Now why on earth could that be? _Van asked himself, ignoring all the attention he was getting. After all he looked like any republican who might be travelling through the area, didn't he? He shot a questioning glance to Zeke who pushed in closely after him, giving him a shrug and a hummed _I don't know._

Walking over to the bar Van hailed the elder bar keeper who's white hair and wizened face told Van that his age was probably close to that of Doctor D's.

"What can I get for a soldier like you?" He asked, after a moment's hesitation.

"How did you know I was a soldier?" Van asked, genuinely surprised. He never wore a uniform.

The bar keeper shook his head with a sigh. "Even the folk of a simple town like this knows to recognise the most famous soldier to ever pass through the ranks of the Republican Army, Mister Van Flyheight. In fact I don't think there's a single person on this planet who doesn't know of your exploits."

"Oh well... That's very nice." Van muttered, going red, not knowing whether he should be pleased. "Well, if you can help, some information might be nice. I want to know if anyone has seen a Zoid pass through here. It's big and purple and looks like a Tiger."

The bar erupted into laughter, even the bar keeper had to stay his deep throated chuckles before he could answer.

"Look boy. Information is the only thing this place doesn't offer. You got that?"

"Oh... Ok... Then do you know any place that will give me this information?"

The bar keeper shook his head. "I think don't think anywhere within this town is a good place to look for anything."

"Well... thank you for your time." Van got up to leave, Zeke giving its best impression of a frown before it followed. As they exited the bar, the hub of conversation started again, albeit now quieter and more cautious, a drunken voice piped up complaining loudly about the recent influx of nosey soldiers in the area. That was all Van heard as the door closed behind him.

"Ok that didn't go well..." Van mumbled, Zeke mumbled back an agreement as it drew level. "What do you think we should do now?" The young man and the Organoid looked at each other for a second, and then sighed.

Van had been following the Diablo Tiger in the Blade Liger just mere minutes ago. He was steadily catching up to it as it wound its way through a small rocky cliff-face path, much like all the other ones that exist in the mountain ranges close to the boarder of the two countries. Van had been wisely cautious in the chase and had not risked switching on the boosters in case he ran himself off the path. At the same time, he had the oddest feeling that the Diablo Tiger was trying to lead him somewhere as it kept carefully in view despite being able to disappear easily if it cloaked in the darkness of the night. The Whale King had been slow to give chase and hovered cautiously over the mountain peaks as it tracked Van via an identification signal. They could not see from that far up in the darkness of the night and the tangles of rocks in this mountain range made it almost impossible to track zoids with the scanners.

All was going well until the mountain cliff path widened out to what appeared to be a town built midway along the mountain trail, cut deeply into the stones of the mountain. The path had jutted far out, bordering a low wall that diverted traffic away from the town. Large cave openings lined the outside the town walls, acting as parking spots for pilots to leave their Zoids. While Van was observing the fascinating architecture he was not watching the Diablo Tiger. When he had finally turned his attention back to his chase again he pulled to a stop, shocked to find that it was no longer there. Van wacked his head on the dashboard, how could he have let this happen?

After informing Herman of what had transpired, Van left the Blade Liger to inquire within town. There were only two places it could have gone, it could have kept running forward or it could have sheathed into town, or at least one of cavern complexes. The Whale King would continue along the path, scanning for it while Van tried to figure out why that Diablo Tiger had kept in plain sight for so long only disappearing at this precise location.

Well it doesn't look like he'll find out. Van walked along, shoulders slumped dejectedly. Maybe there wasn't anything special about this town after all; it just randomly chose to cloak itself as it approached.

These thoughts were swirling around Van's mind as he passed a dark alleyway, causing his usually inattentive nature to be more distracted than usual. This was why he didn't notice the figure standing in the Alley until a hand was cupped over his mouth and dragged him into the shadows. Zeke took a couple more steps before he realised Van was no longer beside him, causing him to panic and run back the way it came.

"What the hell are you doing here Van!" hissed the cloaked figure as Van twisted out of his grip.

Van immediately paused upon recognition of that voice. "Raven! Oh my goodness it's so good to see you! I have a problem!"

The cloaked man in question glowered as Van's abnormally loud voice pitched over the entire street. "Do you want to die?"

Van shook his head.

"Then do not say my name! And keep your voice down!"

"What's wrong? Are you in trouble?" Van asked, making an effort to whisper.

"No, but you will be soon if you keep walking the streets so conspicuously. What the hell are you doing here?"

"I was following the Diablo Tiger, you know, that big purple zoid that got in a fight with you two nights ago. Then I lost it. I think it was trying to lead me here..."

"Do you even know where here is?"

Van shook his head again.

"Well then have fun finding out. Don't get in my way." Raven turned to exit deeper into the alleyway.

"Hold on a minute Raven! What are you doing here?" Van ran to catch up, forgetting for a second to keep his voice down.

Raven bristled with irritation. "What part of don't get in my way do you not understand?"

"You were the one who dragged me in here!"

"You were drawing too much attention the way you were carrying on!"

"So you're kicking me back out there to make more of a scene?"

Raven shot him a murderous glare, sourly regretting his earlier intervention.

"Umm... well how about you tell me what you're doing, and I'll help you?" Van offered, completely forgetting he had more pressing issues he ought to be attending in favour of a side-quest.

"Don't you have anything else to do besides annoy me?"

"Umm... yes but considering the circumstances, I might get more information if I follow you."

"Don't follow me!" Raven snarled as he quickened his pace, Van following determinedly behind.

* * *

The Whale King hovered to a stop over the winding path through the mountain cliffs. The three dimensional digital display on their navigation screen was their only way of tracking the path they were following. No sign of the Diablo Tiger could be detected by the scanner and at the rate they were going they would have outpaced it for sure. This was a nightmare.

Thomas sat huddled in a seat by the corner of the Command Deck, unwilling to talk to anyone. Not even Fiona could get through to him. He was beside himself with worry and grief.

Herman watched on despondently as the Technicians worked at the scanners.

He's done it; he's screwed up big time. Not only did the entire First Panzer Squad end up destroyed, Van also lost track of their one and only lead. Everything that could have gone wrong this day has reflecting badly on him and the rest of the Republic. All they could do was salvage as much as they could from the situation.

"Have two pilots man the Shield Ligers and be ready for deployment. I want them to barricade the path. Let nothing in or out!"

The technicians relayed the order, within a minute two Ligers were dropped onto the narrow mountain path. Now all they could do was wait and pray.

"Let's go back..."

Everyone turned to Thomas, surprised that he was talking again.

"Let's go back to where Van lost the Diablo Tiger. Deploy me. Beek should be able to pick up its tracks."

Herman hesitated, then agreed, despite having his doubts about whether even Beek could track zoids over rock. He should at least give Thomas the peace of mind that he had tried everything he possibly could.

* * *

Six soldiers stood frozen, unable to comprehend what they were being told to do.

"Kill your Colonel." Ralph had ordered, offering a pistol to the group of six. "And you may all live."

Karl stood facing them, surprise evident on his face as well.

If Ralph's sick idea of revenge was to have the men loyal to Karl betray him...then he knows him very well.

To either have them kill him to save their own lives, or to have them killed alongside Karl. Both were unthinkable.

To feel the sting of betrayal was it?

Karl tugged at his wrists, trying to loosen the bonds that tied his hands behind his back. He felt it cut in deep causing Karl to grimace but he could not get it to shift.

He was out of options, and so were his men.

He cast his gaze over the soldiers who followed him, standing together closely guarded by six freakish Organoids. Not a single one of them moved. Not a single one of them reached for the gun.

It was then Karl was certain, not one of them would take the trigger against him, even if it means all of their deaths.

Not one of them was willing to betray him.

With a sigh and a hint of a smile, Karl dropped his gaze, satisfied that the last sight he'll see was the unwavering loyalty of his men.

"Well well... None of you?" Ralph mused, disappointed. "Then it looks like -"

"They will."

Ralph paused and turned, a quizzical expression upon his brow.

Karl lifted his eyes to look each of his soldiers in turn. "I order you to shoot me."

* * *

"What are we waiting for?"s

"Shhh!"

Raven huddled in a voluminous cloak, in a corner of a turn in the alleyway, back to the wall, Van stood close by, leaning next to a bin. Van wasn't sure what they were waiting for, they had been there for a few minutes. For all the talk of not getting in his way Raven seemed determined not to do anything.

Suddenly footsteps echoed from the alley path they had entered from. Van gave a start as Raven stood and pressed his back into the wall, he slowly peered around the corner. The alley they came from connected to another alley that lay at right angles to it, stretching a little at the end to give just enough space to hide someone from view from the first Alley way.

Raven, apparently catching sight of whatever he was looking for, visibly relaxed. A moment later an old man hobbled into view, holding what looked like a bag of trash while glancing around all nervous and twitchy. It's the bar keeper Van realised with surprise as the man finally turned spotted the two figures in the corner, dropping the trash bag in surprise.

"Do you have it?" Raven asked, keeping his voice as low as possible.

"Y-yes." The bar keeper replied, offering a folded paper. "He said it is below us, on a cliff shelf. You can access the path down by the cave system furthest to the right from town."

Raven nodded his thanks but before the man could gather his wits and flee Van piped up. "Hey... you told me you didn't give information."

The bar keeper froze in surprise to finally realise the second man was the young Republican soldier that had visited his bar earlier. With a great cry of "I don't know anything!" the old man sprinted back the way he came.

"What did you do to him?" Van asked, unimpressed by Raven's sadistic calm.

Raven did not reply, instead taking the path down the other alley. Van followed quickly as it seemed Raven knew the layout of the backstreets well. When they finally stepped back into the open they were back at the entrance to the town. Raven had taken the long way, looping around through the alley streets to end up right back at the entrance.

As Raven stepped across the threshold of the town gates he removed his cloak, folding it across his arm.

"What are you trying to do?" Van asked, a little confused by everything that happened.

Raven paused, then surprised Van by giving him the first straight answer he's ever given.

"Eliminating all threats."

A great gust of wind kicked up around them as a great dark shape descended on them. The Geno Breaker landed heavily upon the path next to Raven, a lift-cable extended from the open chest cavity. Without so much as a goodbye Raven rode the cable up and climbed into the cockpit, shutting the hatch behind him, before firing up the boosters and launching over the edge.

Van dashed headlong into the cave where he docked his Blade Liger. As he approached a greeting was called to him from the silver figure perched upon the shoulder of his Liger. Zeke, being unable to find him had returned to wait for him near the Liger.

"Glad to see you're ok. Can't talk now. Let's go!" Van shouted in a rush as he vaulted into the cockpit before the hatch even fully opened.

"Come Zeke! Find the furthest cave to the right of the town!"

* * *

Sergeant Eichel was the man who stepped forward.

Ralph handed the gun to him without a word.

Karl stood straight and ready, eyes stared directly ahead. This was not betrayal. This was loyalty. For one soldier to shoulder this burden would ensure the survival of everyone else.

Eichel lifted the gun, lining it with Karl's heart, finger shaking on the trigger. Karl met his eyes, he was blameless for this. A look of anguish twisted Eichel's features as he closed his eyes and looked away, then determination flared behind his eyes as he opened them looking directly at Ralph.

With a swift motion, Eichel turned the gun on Ralph, triumph in his eyes. As his finger squeezed down on the trigger his triumph turned to horror, as the tendons on his arm snapped beneath jagged teeth. Screaming in pain Eichel dropped to his knees, cradling the stub that once been his hand.

Karl recoiled in horror as the Organoid dropped the mangled arm and proceeded to enclose its jaws around the sergeant's neck.

Blood sprayed across the floor.

Karl stood numbly watching, faintly aware that sharp teeth were being pressed against his shoulder and across his neck and back.

"I wonder what is it that possesses men to display such acts of reckless loyalty. Madness." Ralph muttered, mostly to himself as shook his head at the mess before him.

Before Karl's eyes the Organoids converged on his remaining men, teeth bared in the unholy promise of blood to come.

"Stop-!" Karl called before being cut off with a gurgle as jaws clamped down upon him, the tips of the teeth sinking through the heavy folds of his uniform and into the flesh beneath. Enough to draw blood but not enough to kill him.

All Karl could do to sink to his knees, watching helplessly as the Organoids proceeded in their feast of blood.

* * *

Before a great metal door, well camouflaged among the rocks surrounding, Raven sat in his Geno Breaker observing it with a hint of disdain. There was a tunnel right beside that door, drawing all curious eyes to this spot rendering its attempt at camouflage rather pointless.

He stood upon a wide shelf jutting out from the cliff for fifty meters, then ending sharply, pitching into a wide ravine. It continued along the cliff for about a kilometre to the south and to the north where it ended sharply at the fold of the mountain. The Geno Breaker perched perilously upon the edge, not at all phased by the height of the fall, knowing that if it were to find unstable footing, it could easily stop its fall with the powerful boosters upon its back.

Raven's eyebrows shot up as the scanners displayed the surface of the cliff-face above the tunnel trailed long deep gouge marks that lead from the cliff path above, ones that looked rather fresh upon the cliff face worn smooth by years of sandstorms.

Maybe the door came before the tunnel then? Raven mused. His apologies to the architect.

With a sadistic grin he aimed the Geno Breaker to the door, Shadow sitting within the core, already relishing at the destruction he would wreck.

These mockeries of Organoids had the gall to attempt to subvert his zoid when he left the Imperial Base. It had burrowed into the Zoid chassis, sitting there like a parasite, possibly even before the Imperials completed their repairs. It was when Raven called Shadow in to repair damage the Imperial engineers could not reach did he discover the stowaway on board, lying carefully tucked beneath the armour, not touching the core. Before it could wreck any more havoc with the system, Shadow tore the Organoid out. In a wrath, Raven chased after it, leaving the Imperial Base without so much as a goodbye. He caught that one, and tore it to pieces, only to discover that it was not the last of its kind. Another organoid attempted to sneak up on him as he camped for a mid-day meal, this time it touched the core for a second before Shadow perked up, apparently sensing it then swooping in and making scrap out of it.

In a rage Raven flew out to hunt these things, ordering Shadow to seek them out. It was in this violent rage he came across the damaged Shield Liger, surrounded by three unpiloted zoids. Shadow responded with a roar and Raven did not hesitate to dive into their midst. He dispatched these three zoids brutally, being very careful to thoroughly wreck the cores of two of them as to ensure the insects holed up inside would not be crawling back out. He spared the last one to lead him back to its nest, and it did just that, surprising him. For the place it returned to was the town he had frequented on his quests to seek interesting jobs, and it had also been where the job for the bounty on that goodie-two-shoes Colonel was offered.

He lost the Organoid after that as it dove into the midst of the town where the Geno Breaker could not follow... well it could, but Raven was well past the stage in his life where he dispensed collateral damage willy-nilly. He jumped out and wrapped himself in a cloak, giving Shadow orders to take the Geno Breaker to the ledge above town and to not come back down until he saw Raven's face again. Having frequented the town's darker side before, often for more exciting bounties, Raven knew how to obtain information. Nobody in this town liked snitches, which meant he had to set up a convenient information drop off point and ensure his informant would not be discovered by his own discretion. People are more willing to work with him if they feel assured that they would not get caught.

The end result of that escapade was him, standing upon the ledge below the town ready to turn the cliff-side into a glass crater.

With a wicked grin Raven powered up the Charged Particle Cannon.

_Let's see if the invisible door can stand up to this._

A strange prickle came through his skin, feeling like static in the air, causing the power of the Cannon to fluctuate and drop. As the curious feeling passed Raven gave a moment's musing as to what that curious occurrence might have been, before powering up the cannon once more.

* * *

Karl lay face down upon the stone floor, physically and emotionally drained. All around him was falling rocks and debris. A moment ago a great electrical flux came out of nowhere and caused all of the Organoids to flinch. The one holding his throat promptly released him and backed away, pausing then fleeing with the rest of its cohort, leaving Ralph and Karl the only ones still alive on the killing floor. Ralph had paused then, unsure of what happened, then with a shrug he stepped over the body of a young soldier that had been torn to shreds to retrieve the pistol. Before he could take it however, Karl pushed himself off his knees and made a dive for it, catching Ralph by surprise, ramming him hard with his shoulder. He landed hard on his belly, and was unable to get back up, struggling frantically to loosen the bonds. The gun lay right beside his elbow and he could not free his hands to take it. He watched Ralph get back up with ease, looking unimpressed and strode over to pick it up.

Without warning, an explosion tore through the hanger, a white blast searing through the middle row of Zoids. The resulting shockwave knocked Ralph backwards causing the gun to fly out of his hands and go spinning across the floor.

Rocks fell from the ceiling, large enough to crush a person. One fell between Karl and Ralph, who scrambled back with a start, and fled out back through the hallway. Karl laid there, with his left cheek pressed to the ground, the blood of one of his soldiers pooling against his face, no longer finding the strength to force himself back on his feet. Another rock landed close, this one landing on the remains of his men, further crushing their already mangled corpses. With his right eye on the ceiling he watched as a hanging stone shook loose above him.

He watched it fall towards him, turning end on end.

**Clang**

The stone struck an invisible barrier, bouncing once and sliding down, falling a good distance away. He stared in surprise as the Diablo Tiger materialised before his eyes, shielding him with its body from the falling rocks.

He heard the sound of something light, dropping to the stone floor. The sound of feet running towards him. Hands pressed against his shoulders as someone rolled him face up.

Karl gave a gasp of surprise as he locked eyes with Serenity, a smile of joy broke across her face at the realisation that he was still alive.

With a sharp piece of stone, Serenity sliced through the bonds tying Karl's hands together. He sat up and rubbed his wrists through his leather gloves, feeling the rawness beneath.

"Oh my god, you're a mess..." Serenity sighed, kneeling next to Karl, her smile fading. She pulled her scarf from around her neck and used it to dab the blood from Karl's face as he sat there silently, watching her numbly, unable to come to terms with what had happened. How could she be here, after all the death and suffering that occurred?

A great roar of the jolted him out of his reverie, realising he was still sitting on the blood stained floor of an unstable cavern. Taking Serenity's hand he stood up, pulling her with him. The rumbling had mostly died down causing fewer rocks to tumble. Unfortunately, that was the least of their problems.

A clicking snarling surrounded them as the twisted Organoids emerged from cracks in the wall and roof. Crawling vertically and suspended upside down like a monstrous spiders. Serenity gasped as the Organoids dropped to the floor, circling around them but unwilling to approach. It was then Karl realised he could feel the electric tang again, building up and hanging in air. He felt unnatural humidity press against his skin. A smothering mist filled his lungs as another buzz of mild electricity passed through the air, but this time accompanied by a slight breeze. The Organoids swarming the hanger paused, before retreating, slowly this time, crests bristling up.

A roar pierced the air, joined by another, and finally the familiar yowl of the Diablo Tiger, scattering the Organoids. Karl spun around on the spot, startled, feeling the electrical surge fluctuate once more. Before his eyes, lightning crackled along the singed stone floor, close to their source, dissipating as fast as they appeared. As the mist cleared up, the electricity withdrew from the floor to centralise around their source, the two gleaming blades, mounted on the back of a majestic gold Liger.

The Liger Zero X.

No longer silent and lifeless among the rows of docked zoids, it paced forth, eyes afire with green light, to stand beside the Diablo Tiger. Deeper within the row, a docking platform collapsed, a zoid emerged from below it, still clamped with the cables that harnessed it. Its armour gleamed a wicked red, the glow of its green eyes shone with the same fierceness as its counterparts as the Liger Zero Empire paced forth.

Three zoids created in secret by the Empire. Three zoids that the codebook had spoke of. Here they stood, together for the first time in three years, eyes ablaze with life and intelligence. They stood looking down upon the two young humans who stared back up, breath coming out in a fine mist as the cold desert air spilled into the hanger.

The sound of docking clamps releasing snapped Karl back to the present. Throughout the hanger, zoids began to mobilise, none of them with pilots onboard. Karl's sharp eyes caught the bronzed tail of an organoid slither into the hatch at the bottom of a Red Horn's torso. It snapped to life, rearing its armoured head. The clamps holding it to the docking ramp released and it thundered out through the wall destroyed by the explosion, blatantly ignoring the humans in their midst. Confusion turned to realisation as the sound of battle reached Karl's ears.

Still grasping Serenity's hand Karl walked towards the Ligers, pulling her with him.

"Liger Zero X!" Karl yelled, pulling Serenity in front of him "Take this person aboard!"

For some unexplainable reason, Karl knew he would be obeyed this time, even after so many of his previous commands had been ineffective. The golden Liger lowered itself to the ground and opened its cockpit hatch, the hinges swinging forwards like most zoids with an armoured head cover.

Karl climbed to the cheek strip and pulled Serenity up with him, without a word she climbed into the pilot seat.

"Will it obey me?" She asked, already looking tentatively at the foreign controls. The acceleration was not on her sides like a Liger's would be; instead they appeared to be at the front, like two joysticks.

Karl shook his head, "I don't know... but it can at least keep you safe."

"No! Let me fight! There's got to be a way to get around the AI controls!"

"I've already tried, there's no way to subvert the AI. I don't see any other way to let unregistered people pilot it."

**Beep**

Karl hesitated as the on-board consol reacted.

Across its screen plastered the words [Register secondary pilot?]

Serenity beamed a triumphant grin. Karl did not respond. Serenity slowly turned to him, her eyes questioning. He dropped his eyes and shook his head.

"I don't want you to fight."

Confusion and a hint of anger flashed through Serenity's eyes. "Karl. I'm a fighter! I've been fighting all my life!"

"I've seen enough death today..."

"Then let me fight! Nobody has to die!"

Karl went silent again, confusion apparent on his face as he struggled with his words. He wanted to tell her... tell her why he won't let her go running into danger, why he wouldn't put her to that risk.

But he couldn't.

He didn't know how to say it.

"... Very well."

Turning to the consol Karl ordered, clearly and commandingly. "Register Serenity as a Secondary Pilot!"

The consol beeped again, this time a sound of confirmation. A red laser scanner cast out of the dashboard, running down Serenity's face as a digital model of her image was uploaded.

[Voice registration]

It wanted her to say something...

"Uhhh..."

[Registration complete]

Serenity grinned, turning to Karl who smiled back hesitantly, then blinked in surprise as the consol screen updated.

[2 Secondary pilots registered]

Before he could say anything more Serenity pushed him off the Liger head, catching him by surprise. He landed, stumbling a bit as Serenity winked from the Pilot seat, restraint bar lowering over her head.

"See you out in the action."

Karl looked up at her, words upon his lips, but he could not bring himself to voice it.

"Be careful." He said, after a silent struggle with himself, still unable to bring himself to say anything more.

Serenity's smile faded as thoughtful look flickered over her face, then, like it never left, her smile returned. "I'm not the one who ends up blooded every time we meet Karl! Practice what you preach!" and with that she closed the hatch, standing the Liger up from its crouch.

Karl watched on, his pessimism telling him that those would be the last words from him she'll ever hear. The death he witnessed this day had shaken his assurance and resolve. Six men, whose deaths he could have prevented...

Should she do the same... should his decision to allow her to pilot the Liger...

The lines deepened beneath his eyes.

He breathed deep, pushing down his welling grief and doubt before turning to the waiting Tiger.

* * *

A/N: So here we are rolling up to the final battle, we're finally here! We made it! I made it! I can't believe I actually followed through with something! My ADHD councillor will be so impressed!

Tune in next week for the grand finale. **Chapter 19: Sacrifice.**

*Wicked laughter* I'm such a twat xD

Relevant fact: Pure water does not conduct electricity; however water vapour does, provided they're charged. The problem with lightning creation in fogs is that a fog is grounded, in that it touches the ground, and thus any charge they built is automatically discharged directly into the earth via the water vapour medium. A fog would also lack the density to actually build up a charge strong enough to spawn lightning. Lightning will always follow the path of least resistance from a negatively charged source to a positively charged receptor. This can mean the lightning will strike another source within the same cloud if the charges are right, or hit a charged point upon the ground, preferring metal objects and high elevated ones. Air is a medium of high resistance so this is why all lightning that strikes from cloud to earth are so powerful, it needs to build high enough energy for force of opposite charge attraction to overcome that resistance. As shown in an experiment by an university in America that it's possible to induce a lightning strike by launching a small rocket into a storm cloud stretching a wire from it to the ground.

The theory: Using these facts Darkrad and I came up with the theory around how the Liger Zero X's area-shock ability might work. As teslas' coils have shown it is possible to make electricity to jump from a source to another through just plain air, with enough power to fry a circuit possibly, maybe even damage a living organism, but highly doubtful that it'd even phase a zoid. We thought, hey why not just make it create a mist and break the connection between the vapour and the ground, then have it build up the charge itself and launch it into the mist? This way when enemies walk into the mist, their bodies create the bridge from mist to ground, creating a path of least resistance and conduct the electricity through them. This brought us to the first problem... It would likely conduct the current itself, however this is easily fixed by creating its armour out of something that doesn't conduct electricity. Unfortunately as all metal conducts electricity, it would have to be insulated with rubber or silicon or plastic or something... totally not a cool look for a zoid (Darkrad proposed they could also be made out of Carbon fibre or Polycarbonate... I assume that's what he uses when he's making bionic eyes so I'll have to take his word for it). Then came the technical stuff on how to deploy it efficiently. Water evaporates in high heat, so if the Liger X can release a vapour during the day time in the dessert, chances are it'd float quite a distance away from the ground without touching and hence would create the perfect conditions for this theory. During the freezing cold night though... it'd be more of a problem. We decided on a simple mechanism of lifting the mist. Just use a strong air jet emitted from below to blow the mist off the ground. It won't get rid of all the water particles between the mist and the ground but it would be enough to create an insulation buffer of air. The sand the air might kick up is of a silicon base and hence do not conduct electricity (provided there is no trace metal within it) and thus will provide a short distance lightning conduction medium.

Well that was a snippet of the mind-work behind how we came up with this sci-fi theory, I hope the science checks out... but at the same time I highly doubt it'd work if I tried to apply it practically...


	19. Sacrifice

Final battle everyone! Thanks for tuning in and following this story for so long. I love you all!

I made this chapter extra long this week... well not by that much really...

Thank you to Darkened-Storm for first review. I loved writing it! I love torture of all forms! Though I'm thinking physical torture is a bit dated, now a days psychological is all the rage. And I'm not so sure about a sequel... I live in fear of the Disney sequel.

To randomcat23: Oh noes! Is my nerd showing? *Hides Doctor Who sonic screwdriver and completed rubix cube* lol nah. I'm a geek-gal and proud to be! I'm glad you found the last chap exciting, I hope to make this final battle as exciting, if not more so :3

Today's playlist – Army of Justice and Dragon Rider by Two Steps from Hell. Pure epic.

**The title picture** **I drew for this fanfic is linked on my profile page**. Please take a look for a visual on Ren and the Diablo Tiger.

Disclaimer: I do not own Zoids or any of the characters in relation.

Thanks to DuskStarDragon, Darkrad and Darkened-Storm for Beta-ing my work.

Darkened-Storm's fic is Zoids: Rebirth Century, another fic based around a failed assassination attempt lol.

DuskStarDragon's fic is A Bounty hunter's Gentleman, another Karl fic.

* * *

Affinity

Chapter 19: Sacrifice

The Geno Breaker stood over the body of a smoking Red Horn. Its clawed foot pressed against the chassis, crushing the torso. The Red Horn gave one mighty bellow, then fell lifeless, the colour leaching out of its metal coat. Around it was the littered the greying remains of other zoids that had exited from the gaping crack where a camouflaged door had been.

A Zaber Fang backed up cautiously, its back carefully placed to the wall, as the Geno Breaker kicked the pieces of the smashed organoid out of the shattered Red Horn. Only after making sure the organoid was truly dead did Raven turn his attention to the Zaber, its dark red chassis outlined by the faint glow given off by the town on the cliffs above, enhanced by the night vision the Geno Breaker's display screen provided. It shrunk back as the Geno approached, snarling and twitching left and right. The Geno accelerated forwards, boosters on its back kicking to life. It ploughed into the Zaber, not even attempting to dodge the blow, the impact shattering the chassis against the Cliffside wall. A dark bronze shape sprang from the crumbling body and landed upon the back of the Geno Breaker. It latched on with bronze claws as the Geno Breaker proceeded to shake savagely, trying to unseat its unwanted passenger. It threw its back against the cliff wall causing the bronze parasite to loosen its grip. Deep claw marks riveted down the side of the Geno Breaker's armour as the Organoid slipped off its back and hung off its shoulder, scrambling to get back up. Raven would not allow that. He twisted the accelerators beside him, causing the Geno Breaker to spin, smashing its shoulder against the cliff wall, flattening the organoid in the process. The damage screen beeped an alert. Raven's manoeuvres left him with his boosters at fifty percent capacity and a scratched paint job on his shield arm.

A Dark Horn ploughed into the wall, where the Geno Breaker had been, moments before it crushed the Organoid, causing the entire structure to quake. Raven was too fast for it, even at half capacity the boosters shot him forward out of harms reach a split second before the bone-shattering impact of Dark Horn charge could connect. He switched on the side-boosters, turning him in mid-leap, sending a volley of blaster fire to the Dark Horn, still embedded in the cliff wall. The shots bounced off the thick armoured hide, leaving smoky pits in its wake. With throw of its head, the Dark Horn pulled its horn from the once-smooth cliff face now a crumbling cracked mess. Before it could even turn to face its foe, Raven intercepted it in mid turn, vaulting over it to its side, putting himself between it and the wall and kicked it hard, sending it rolling on its side. Raven kicked the boosters to life, catching the Dark Horn by its underbelly, creating great rivets within the rocky ground as he pushed the Dark Horn towards the cliff edge. The damaged booster gave out slightly, causing the Geno Breaker to wobble mid flight. Raven quickly pulled it off its course and retreated quickly to the cliff wall, he was not going to risk the boosters giving out anywhere near that plummet. The Dark Horn laid on its side, smoking slightly, half its armour grated off. It struggled to right itself, its horn stuck in the ground. The Geno Breaker turned towards its helpless foe, clawed feet wedged into position as the clamps came down behind its heels. Its tail straightened out, vents opening on each segment, a blinding white light gathering between its wide open jaws, lighting the entire cliff face up. The Dark Horn ceased its struggle. Raven scanned the surrounding area for a tell tale glint of bronze, it would not be able to hide when the entire area was lit up by the gathering charged particles. Suddenly it stepped into view, climbing atop of the Dark Horn, standing in plain sight and in direct line of fire.

It was trying to distract him.

Raven knew straight away that he fell for it, hook line and sinker, even before the damage consol beeped its warning. One of the Organoids dropped upon the back of the Geno Breaker when he was charging the cannon, too focused on his target and burrowed into the back, tearing away the thick red armour to reveal the core within its torso. The core however was not unguarded. Wrapped around the glowing core was Shadow, wings enshrouding it, casting dark elongated shadows from within. As the bronze Organoid attempted to enter, Shadow lashed out with its tail, swiping at it, trying to keep it away from the precious core, its loss of focus causing the system to fluctuate and the particle cannon to miss as the Geno Breaker flinched to the right as it fired. The shot missed its target and wiped out most of the rocky path, destroying the natural shelf formation. Remaining pieces crumbled into the chasm, ending right near the edge of the two tunnels.

As Shadow lashed out the bronze organoid retreated quickly, avoiding the tail, then made another attempt to invade, this time with the intention to disable the guard first. Shadow would not have any of that. Releasing its hold upon the core, shadow leaped out catching the enemy Organoid by the throat. It dematerialised into a beam, shooting out of the Geno Breaker's chassis, dragging its foe with it.

As the Charged Particle cannon dissipated, the world was plunged into pitch darkness. Raven fired the blasters, relying on his memory to find the target that his eyes and radar could not. As the glare disappeared from his eyes, he realised with a sinking feeling that not one of his shots had found its mark. Small smoking pits dotted the underbelly of the stricken Dark Horn, faint rivets scratched along its side. Not a single scrap of bronze metal could be seen anywhere around it.

Raven stepped on the Side Boosters quickly, hoping to move his Geno Breaker off the ground before the parasitic Organoid could latch on, but even as he stepped upon the pedal, he knew he was too late. A bronze tail swiped across the display screen like a pendulum, waving mockingly as the Organoid scaled the chest armour of the Geno Breaker.

"Shadow!" Raven shouted, realising he could not do anything about the organoid attacking from the front. The claws of the Geno Breaker could not bend far enough to reach the Organoid upon its chest, nor could its firearms target something of that proximity, the posture of the Geno Breaker making it impossible to smash the organoid off a rock from the front.

"Shadow!" he called again, watching the red shavings of the armour cascade down across the display screen. "Shadow! You useless piece of-!"

**Pew!**

A bright streak flashed across his screen. The waving bronze tail immediately stiffened, before it and the body it attached to; fell stricken from its perch.

"Looks like I'm right on time."

Raven gritted his teeth as he turned to acknowledge the man behind that irritating voice.

"Why are you following me Van?"

"Is that how you thank someone for saving your hide?"

The Geno snapped around and fired a round of blaster fire at the Blade Liger.

"Hey what gives!" Van shouted, after making sure the damage to the liger was all superficial.

"Is that how you thank someone for saving your hide?"

"Huh?" Looking down around the feet of the Blade Liger, Van spotted shattered bronze remnants of at least two of the strange bronze creatures, pieces still falling from above him.

"Eheh... what about that..." Van said sheepishly. "I guess we're even?"

Raven rolled his eyes. "Since you're here you might as well make yourself useful."

With that Raven turned back to the caved in door. In his distraction three zoids exited the tunnel and were grouping around the mouth.

A yellow Liger stalked out between two Zaber Fangs, cautiously skirting the edge of a ravine that suddenly appeared beside the shattered door they exited from; they gleamed starkly against the light cast by the Geno Breaker's core spilling out of the gash upon its breastplate. Raven turned to face them, no longer risking the charged particle cannon in case it gave another organoid a chance to sneak up on him. The Blade Liger pulled up beside him, crouched ready to fight by his side.

"Stay behind me Van, fuse your Organoid with your zoid and keep an eye out for any brown Organoids approaching me."

"Oh so nooooow you're telling me what's going on?"

Raven ignored him and approached cautiously, his boosters were not in any state to propel him on this precarious position or limited visibility. The light cast by his exposed core creating a stark contrast between where the light fell and the darkness surrounding it. He approached the unmoving zoids, eyes straining for any smaller ambushes. A Liger suddenly stumbled from the entrance, the sudden movement startling Raven into a flurry of fire. This in turn seemed to have startled the strange liger, because at that moment a great cloud of dust swept up from the surface of the rocky ground followed by bright flashes and a great peel of thunder. When the dust settled, only the bizarre Liger was standing, its golden armour shining painfully bright under the light of the Geno Core. The yellow Liger and Zaber Fangs lay in a heap at its feet, smoke fizzling out from the gaps in their armour, not a scratch marring their paintjob.

Raven hesitated, unsure as to how this event unfolded. How did it take out three zoids in a split second?

The Liger shuffled awkwardly around to face him. The Geno Breaker's guns drew level with it as Raven's finger hesitated on the trigger. It did not move like one of those possessed by the mock Organoids.

"Don't shoot! I'm on your side!"

The communications channel opened as a com-vid screen projected onto the display, revealing the face of a young dark-haired girl. Someone he'd seen before.

"You!" Van shouted, his image appearing on the screen beside the girl's. "Why are you here? Where is the Diablo Tiger?"

The young girl pulled a confused face. Van had apparently already forgotten that the reason he was there in the first place was because he had been following her.

Before any more could be said, the Diablo Tiger stalked out of the entrance. It paused beside the golden Liger, turning to survey the surroundings, a red Liger following it out, dogging its heels. It immediately caught the source of the light, turning to Raven but not in an aggressive manner.

The communications channel opened to admit another entrant. Van gasped, a smile breaking out on his face, then faded quickly. Colonel Schubaltz' visage appeared on the display between that of the other two, his ashen blond hair matted with blood. A grey bruise extended around the left side of his face and across his cheekbone, ending mid-way under his eye. Two deep bleeding gashes could be seen on the right side of his neck below his jaw line, side by side, extending to his frayed and open uniform collar. The tears upon his collar sported tears in a similar fashion extending down his uniform to his officer stripes before looping back up over his shoulder.

"What... happened? Are you alright?" Van asked, concern in his voice as well as all over his face.

"I'm fine." The Colonel answered without much feeling, his weary eyes not giving anything away. "Lieutenant Flyheight. Are you the only one here?"

"Umm no. Raven's here too."

Like that wasn't obvious.

"I mean are you the only member of the military in the vicinity?"

"Umm. No. Everyone else is on the Whale King. They went on ahead."

"Get a message to them. Do not land any zoids in this area. Lock down all zoids in military bases and within the capitals."

Van dipped out of the communications channel to carry out his orders. His usually inquisitive nature suppressed by the sense of urgency.

A loud snap sounded as a thin streak of electricity flew out and danced across the chassis of the Liger and Tiger beside it, then struck a bronze shape that crawled down the wall, attempting to approach, causing it to lose its grip and fall smoking upon the ground.

"Hey, awesome, low settings don't affect the zoids!" Serenity exclaimed, watching the smoking remains. "Just like a bug zapper."

"Careful, it might affect actual Organoids the same way." Karl cautioned, eyes scanning up the cliff-wall. He saw more artificial Organoids in that hanger than there was zoids to put them in. When they swarmed and dissipated, he knew they headed for the outside. So where were they now? The Diablo Tiger's scanners weren't picking up anything in their extreme vicinity... could it scan on vertical scopes?

His eyes could pick up nothing in the uneven darkness. A light beam fell in a streak on the cliffs from the back of the Geno Breaker's torn chassis. The beam of light casting the surrounding recently cracked cliffs into stark relief, each shadow resembling that of an organoid lying in wait.

His eyes strayed above the cliff edge framed by a diffuse glow from the town above. Beyond that stars gleamed across the sky, clustered in ways that tell of the dissipating cloud cover still veiling them. Then slowly, the faint stars disappeared, cluster by cluster as a large silent shape passed overhead.

"Colonel Schubaltz! Herman said they've already deployed Thomas in the area!"

The colour drained from Karl's face.

"Where?"

"He says where we lost track of the Diablo Tiger... that's just on the edge of town on the cliffs above."

"Find him!"

With that the Diablo Tiger turned and lunged for the cliff face, its powerful claws gripping hard, climbing up it with amazing efficiency. The red Liger made an attempt to follow it up but its claws could not grip in the same way. It ended up sliding back down and landing on all fours and paused for a second, before pursuing the retreating quarters of the Blade Liger, the golden Liger following suit.

This left Raven sitting alone on the shelf, boosters spent and chassis torn open on both the back and the front. He looked the Cliffside up and down; judging the distance the boosters would have to hold for. He couldn't risk it, not with the sheer fall behind him. Turning on its clawed heels, the Geno Breaker followed the path taken by the three Ligers.

* * *

"Beek! Respond Beek!" Thomas shouted desperately into his microphone. His head-set computer blinked furiously as the Artificial Intelligence onboard battled with the other attempting to hijack it.

Thomas throttled the Dibison's controls, willing it to obey him.

Before him, the town glowed bright as the evening lights of the bars and other open-late facilities had not yet been dimmed. He stood a little to the side of the main entrance, being dropped from the Whale King moments before. The first thing he had stumbled across was a bright spotlight casted skywards from an area below the cliff. The light shifted positions, waving around like someone signalling for help into the inky sky, then followed by a loud crack at which the light stopped in its tracks.

At this point Thomas was enthralled by the display and did not notice what was going on around him. A steady swarm of small bronze creatures climbed from the cliff's edge, their coats cast in a dull bronze in the dim light cast by the town. Thomas would not have noticed at all if not for the snapping snarl that sounded behind him. He turned the Dibison around, sure that whatever it was it was not a threat since Beek did not alert him. Until he saw what it was, that is.

A black Organoid stood with unfurled wings, standing over pieces of bronzed scrap metal. Thomas recognised it as it turned to face him. Shadow regarded him with a strange air, appearing to crouch then suddenly leap forward dissipating into a light beam, straight at the Dibison. Thomas choked down a little yelp as the light passed bare centimetres from the cockpit, for a second Thomas thought Shadow had fused with his Dibison, before hearing a resonating crash and two figures tumbled to the Dibison's feet. A bronze creature that resembled that of an Organoid struggled to regain its feet, neck held between the jaws of Shadow. As Thomas watched, Shadow proceeded to shake his head, twisting the bronze Organoid's neck in impossible angles, popping the bolts holding the metal plating anchored to the underside of its neck. Another bronze Organoid appeared, dashing towards Shadow from behind, he was too quick for it. In a split second Shadow released its hold on the first bronze creature and slapped the second away with its tail. It dove in for the kill, its first victim, still squirming, forgotten in the dust. However before Shadow could dispatch the second organoid, another approached, then another. Thomas watched with a fascinated shock as half a dozen strange Organoids appeared. They converged on Shadow, each using the distraction created by the other to attack. Outnumbered greatly, Shadow attempted to flee, opening his wings wide in preparation to beam across the sky. With a sudden rush, a brave bronzed one rushed in and clamped down on the tip of one of Shadows Wing. Shadow swung his tail at the offending Organoid, but missed. It was unable to reach the enemy Organoid as it stretched Shadow's wing out to breaking point, all shadow could do was be dragged along step by agonising step, unable to retract its wings or fly away. Another Organoid took advantage of the situation and leapt forward, attempting to take Shadow's throat. The Black Organoid lowered his head, placing his own jaws between his throat and his enemy. At this point Thomas finally realised whatever this was, it was not a friendly play-date. He fired a warning shot into the midst of the Organoids, Beek's impeccable calculations assuring that nothing was harmed. This moment of distraction allowed Shadow to dart in close to the Organoid holding his wing, retracting his wing membrane quickly and throwing its entire weight behind a tackle. As the bronze organoid released its hold, Shadow pulled his wing from its jaws and used its body as a springboard from which it launched into the air, transforming itself into a jet of light.

The remaining group of Organoids raised their heads, watching the light disappear over the ridge, before slowly turning their attention to the Dibison. Thomas did not realise how deeply in trouble he was until Beek shrilled in warning as the AI system began to shut down.

"Damn it all! Beek!" Thomas cried in alarm as his AI finally gave out under the assault of the invading Organoid. Thomas watched in horror as the gun armaments raised on their own accord to line with the walls of the town, pausing there for a second, before, to Thomas' great relief, shifting again to the right, pointing over the edge of the cliff.

"Lieutenant Schubaltz!"

Thomas' heart leapt as the voice of his brother blared through the speakers.

"Karl! You're alright?"

Gleaming grey claws appeared over the edge of the cliffs, pulling the body of the Diablo Tiger over after it. The shoulder guns of the Dibison, pre-aimed, fired with deadly accuracy, catching the Diablo Tiger in mid-heave. The shot set the Diablo rolling back over the edge, a smoking pit burnt into its shoulder.

"Lieutenant Schubaltz! Why are you firing at me?"

The realisations hit him like a brick. His brother was alive. He was in the Diablo Tiger. His hijacked Dibison just fired at his brother!

"I lost control! Beek is offline! I think an Organoid is inside my system!"

Desperate to regain control of his zoid, Thomas began hitting every button he could reach. Nothing responded, not even eject. He watched helplessly as the Dibison fired the cannon armaments at the edge of the cliff, causing a shower of rocks to tumble off and strike the Diablo Tiger, still hanging off the cliff face but slipping lower by the second.

There was only one button Thomas had not tried yet...

The selfdestruct.

* * *

Karl silently swore. This was the worst possible situation. Thomas was at the mercy of the Artificial Organoid.

The Diablo Tiger hung off the sheer drop, its claws dug deep into the stone. It howled angrily as cracks struck down the smooth rock surface caused by the bombardment of cannon fire, claws not gripping as well as they did before the damage to the shoulder joint. Its claws slipped through the crumbling stone, dragged down by its own bodyweight. Looking down he realised with a sinking heart that he was hanging over right where the ledge ended, the stonework around it charred black and crumbling. Karl twisted the accelerator, trying to make the Diablo Tiger edge towards the safe ground only to find the darkened cliff wall area Diablo slipped into was re-set molten slag that crumbled away beneath its claws. Karl cried out in alarm as a chunk of the wall broke away from his claws and he freefell for a few meters before catching the claws deeper in slightly more solid rock, rock that was also charred and showing evidence of being previously melted. The edge of the cliff shelf hung level with the Diablo Tiger's mangled shoulder, so close as to mock him. Rocks sprayed over the edge, striking the chassis as the Dibison fired once again above him.

"Karl!" Thomas' panicked voice came over the com. "Please answer me!"

"I'm still here Thomas." Karl answered between gritted teeth, head swimming under the threat of a sheer fall.

"... What's wrong? You never use my first name! What's happened?"

"It's ok. Help will be there for you soon."

"What about you? Are you safe?"

The Diablo Tiger cried out in agony as it was struck by a sizable boulder causing its shoulder to buckle under the strain.

"I'm not going to lie to you Thomas. My zoid is about to slip." Karl turned the Tiger's head to judge the distance from the ground only to find he couldn't even see the bottom of the fall. Sweat broke out on his brow as he quickly straightened the Diablo Tiger to face up, head swimming. Karl swallowed hard, making sure his voice was steady before lying through his teeth. "I have a decent chance of surviving this fall."

It was a few seconds before Thomas answered, in a voice that hinted of reckless abandon. "I'm sorry Karl."

"Thomas..." Karl cautioned, eyes widening under the realisation that Thomas was going to try something foolhardy. "Don't do anything reckless!"

"Goodbye Karl."

"Thomas!"

The Dibison guns stopped firing. Karl's heart hammered against his chest, his hands slipping off the accelerators. The Diablo Tiger's artificial intelligence took over the moment he released the controls, pushing its claws from the wall, leaping backwards into freefall space. Before it could begin its decent, it twisted in midair, claws reaching out for the edge of the rocky shelf. As its claws clasped onto the edge, a shuddering boom resonated through the air. Karl looked up in a start just in time to see the bright light bleaching into his eyes and fading from over the top of the cliff.

Karl cried out in horror, the sight burnt into his memory by the glare of the light.

"Thomas... THOMAS!"

Karl grasped the controls of the Diablo Tiger as it pulled itself onto the ledge. With a rush of recklessness, Karl forced the Diablo Tiger to climb up the cliff wall, straight up the path he had taken before. His heart hammered in his chest as he forced down the images his mind brought up of the sight he was about to see. With one last leap, the Diablo Tiger bounded over the edge, planting its feet firmly on horizontal ground.

"Oh hey Karl. What took you so long?"

Karl blinked in surprise. The Dibison lay on its belly, its legs splayed out beneath it, smoke wafting from its chassis. Beside it stood the Liger Zero X, looking as pleased as any zoid could with itself.

A small feeble laugh came from the com of the Dibison. "Hey Karl, I'm alright. The self destruct button jammed."

"You damned idiot!" Karl screamed through the com over and over again, losing his composure and eloquence under his profound relief.

Van sat some distance away in his Blade Liger, not keen on breaking up this brotherly bonding moment that Thomas clearly deserved but this was an emergency.

"Colonel Schubaltz! I'm sorry to interrupt." Van ventured when Karl finally fell silent to catch his breath. "Herman sent a message I'm to deliver to you. He says the military zoids close to and within the capital cities of the Empire and the Republic as well as some of the boarder bases suddenly began to mobilise unmanned, converging onto the command centres of the cities. It seems every zoid that mobilised were all artificial zoids, and the strongest of their line but due to your warning they've managed to restrain a large number of them, most importantly the Gojulas of the Republic and a large number of the Iron Kongs. He goes on to say Guygalos is suffering worse than New Helix and that emperor has already been evacuated. He asks if you have any orders to forward on to your division."

It's already started?

Karl breathed deeply, trying to focus his mind, forcing it to come up with a solution. The Organoids were behind all of it. Ralph had already infiltrated a large number of bases around the capital but surprisingly also boarder bases. His plan appeared to have been to invade the capitals, could he have planned to spark another war between the two nations as well? Could that have been the original plan, now forced to be abandoned due to the need for haste?

What could be done?

The Republic still had a large number of natural zoids within their arsenal and could mobilise them in defence of their capital, they probably have already done so.

But what about the Empire?

They didn't have a single natural zoid left.

They had no way of defending themselves.

"... Evacuate the citizens." Karl finally answered, unable to see any way to possibly save the capital. "When the Republic has secured their own defence, I would ask for you to send a battalion to aid us. In the mean time, have the Whale King travel south and meet us on level ground to pick us up."

"... Understood." Van replied, understanding the gravity of the decision.

Karl cast his eyes down, hating himself for letting the Empire down so. He had zoids with the ability to counter the problem but was in no position to use them. How long would it take him to reach Guygalos by Whale King from here? An hour? Two?

"Schubaltz! Watch out!"

Karl snapped to attention as Van jumped in front of the grounded Dibison, switching on his shields.

A great red shape hung in the sky outlined by a halo of glowing white, a bright silvery light charging between its jaws.

Karl kicked the side boost pedal causing his zoid to side-step and turn, just as a great white blast bleached the rocks where he had stood just moments before, melting the road away into a giant dipping pothole.

The gold Liger stood behind Van's shield, back arched in surprise as it stared at the remains of its counterpart. The red Liger was not fast enough and now melted into a smouldering heap of twisted metal, tipped over the edge of the hole and falling through to the darkness below.

Upon his relief that all the humans in his company was safe Karl turned to assess his attacker, only to find it was no longer where it had been.

"Hey Raven! What gives?" Van called as he turned and spotted the red Geno Breaker slog towards them from down the path.

"That wasn't me you idiot!"

"Huh?"

A blast rocked the cliff wall as the zoid flew overhead. Van's assessment was initially correct, it was a red Geno-type zoid, but it was not a Geno Breaker. It did not carry the heavy shield and claws the Geno Breaker did, instead it carried a large firing armament upon its back that appeared to also double as a booster, keeping it in flight.

"What's this? The Liger pilot? Well well, it looks like my lucky day."

Karl's blood boiled in fury as Ralph's sarcastic drawl came through the com. On the other side of the newly formed chasm, the Blade Liger shrunk back against the crippled Dibison, shield shining bright in the darkness.

"Ralph, I'm still alive! Face me!" Karl called out. "I'm in the Diablo Tiger!"

"And I'm in the Geno Trooper. Impressed?"

"Cut the crap Ralph! Face me one on one!"

"As you wish Schubaltz."

The great Geno swung around swifter than anything Karl had expected from its great bulky size, as swift as any zoid of the sky.

Karl kicked the Diablo Tiger into gear, hoping to lead Ralph as far away from Van and his helpless brother as possible. A smattering of shots bounced off the rock in front of him, forcing him to pull up to a sudden stop. The Geno Trooper flew low over his head, almost clipping the cockpit. It pulled around to a stop in front of him.

"Sorry about that Schubaltz. It looks like you're out of the game." Ralph said, with a laugh.

Those were the words he said to Karl when he had tagged him with the Black Redler back in their last training run so many years ago.

Ralph was mocking him.

Karl throttled the accelerator, launching the Diablo Tiger at the low-hovering Geno Trooper. With an almost air of distain, the Geno Trooper waited till the last second before pulling high out of Karl's reach, sending a volley of non-lethal Vulcan fire before him. The Diablo Tiger did not slow down absorbing the shots as it ran headlong.

Karl turned the cannon armament to the Geno pulling around behind him. Karl fired, already realising the turning speed and firing rate of his only ranged weapon would not be able to land any sort of decisive hit on the swift Geno Trooper, especially when piloted by a professional flyer like Ralph.

The Geno Trooper pulled in beside Karl, matching his speed to the Diablo Tiger's. The bastard was toying with him.

Karl swung the cannon around to line a shot but before the weapon finished its turn the Geno Trooper zoomed out ahead. Karl watched it swerve around a neat one-eighty and dive directly for him. He realised this time Ralph was aiming to kill.

Karl met that challenge head on. If Ralph was cocky enough to bring this into close combat then this was his chance to turn the fight around.

Karl punched the accelerators down, making the Diablo tiger spring up in mid-stride, claws aimed directly at the fast incoming Geno. At that moment, Karl realised his mistake.

The Geno Trooper pulled hard to the right, completely avoiding the Tiger's claws, then accelerated suddenly, the sonic boom intercepted the Tiger in mid-leap, smashing it into the side of the mountain head first. The cockpit armour sliced off shattering the hatch as the Diablo Tiger's head grated against the mountain. It finally skidded to a stop at a bend in the road, half its body shooting over the edge. Karl laid fifty meters away from it, head against the hard earth, turned to the side to watch the Diablo Tiger balance precariously on the edge. The restraint bar had opened unbidden the moment it slowed down enough to deposit him safely, throwing him from the skidding zoid. Slowly, slowly, the Diablo Tiger tipped over the side. Karl watched on in despair as his zoid fell over the edge and was embraced by the mercy of the sheer fall.

The Geno Trooper descended upon him, hovering slowly.

"I must say Schubaltz." Ralph's scathing voice echoed through the mountains. "Yet again I'm disappointed."

The Geno Trooper turned to look down on him from above.

Its tail straightened as the vents opened up.

Its jaws opening wide.

A bright light shone from its gullet as charged particles gathered.

Karl closed his eyes.

It's over.

**Boom!**

Karl's eyes snapped open as the Charging particles exploded within the Geno Trooper's jaws.

A swift shape leapt from the cliffs above and landed upon the Trooper's back cramping its claws around the flight parts upon the Geno's back, its armour gleaming golden in the light of the lightning spilling forth from the golden structures mounted upon its back, the surge striking square between the jaws of the Geno Trooper. The resulting blast tearing the lower mandible off.

The Geno Trooper dipped hard as the power surge played havoc with its control system. The Liger X hung on for dear life as the Geno Trooper swung sharply around to the right, trying to shake its passenger off. They both hung precariously over the sheer drop of the ravine.

Karl's scrambled to get up, feeling sharp pain with every motion. He pulled himself to his feet, propping against the cliff wall, watching helplessly as the golden Liger slipped from the Geno's back, holding on by the tips of its claws.

Those claws glowed bright, sinking through the booster, slicing open the casing, redirecting the energy used for flight into a devastating explosion. The blast knocked the Geno Trooper spiralling from the sky, swinging the Liger around with it. It steadied itself once more, the flames of the shredded booster melting the armour on its back. In a fury it grabbed the dangling Liger between its claws.

The Liger roared in pain as it was torn in two, the lower half of its body falling into the chasm below, its upper half was gripped in the claws of the great Geno.

Slowly and sadistically, it enclosed its claw around the cockpit head, Karl watching in muted horror.

The armour crumpled slowly between the claws, the crack of the cockpit glass echoed loud and hollow in Karl's ears.

"No..."

A sudden grating crack sounded loudly as the Geno Trooper lit up in blaze of white. Electricity surged along the surface of its armour. The golden Liger's lightning blades were lowered across its side, the tips sunk deep into the chest of the Geno Trooper.

With a great explosion, the boosters blown out shooting the Geno Trooper and the Liger X into the side of the cliff , the force of impact shattering the chassis of both zoids. The zoids fell in a heap upon the mountain road in front of Karl.

Moving as fast as he could, Karl limped to the twisted smoking remains, climbing over the severed claw of the Geno Trooper to reach the crushed cockpit of the Liger.

Peeling off the crumbling head armour with the glass coming off in equal measures, Karl revealed the inside of the cockpit. Karl's eyes, still glared from the lights of the battle, could not see. He reached out with a shaking hand to the dark indistinct shape slouched within the seat.

His fingers felt warm skin, as it touched her face, trembling. He brushed over her closed eyelids, shut tight against his fingertips.

His fingers slid down her cheeks, a dark moisture staining the tips.

His fingers brushed across her lips. Her soft red lips.

A soft warm breath ticked across his skin.

Karl realised with a start. She was still alive!

A smile broke across his face as he pushed hard against the cockpit hatch, peeling off as much armour by hand as he possibly could.

**Crunch**

Two bronze claws landed heavily on the hatch, right before his eyes. The glowing golden eyes of the organoid lowered to his eye level, the menacing jaws snapping before his face.

A hand grabbed onto the back of his collar, pulling him down roughly and throwing him across the road.

"I've got to hand it to you." A scathing voice sounded as a dark shape stepped out from the shadow of the twisted Geno claw. "You have the luck of the devil."

Ralph stepped out into the pale light of the moon, now emerged from behind the cover of clouds.

Karl propped himself up on his elbow, willing the strength to get back up.

A boot came down hard against his chest, causing his body to sear with pain, but even so, Karl's eyes never left the Organoid standing atop the head of the Liger.

"A girl, Schubaltz?" Ralph said with an eyebrow cracked, amusement colouring his tone. "Never struck me as the type to mix business with pleasure."

Karl's eyes widened in horror as the Organoid dipped its head into the shattered glass of the cockpit and emerged, holding the still living body of Serenity between its jaws.

Ralph smiled sadistically.

"Taste despair."

Jaws closed around the body in a spray of blood. Karl gaped in astonishment as blood sprayed upon him.

For the body to be crushed was not Serenity's but Ralph's.

Two rows of silvery grey teeth, stained with blood materialised before his eyes, glinting like a demon in the night. The Diablo Tiger had pulled itself from the chasms of hell itself to take one last life. As it straightened its head, lifting it up, it grinned one last eerie bloodstained grin, the hollow broken gash sitting starkly on its face. Karl pulled himself up as it collapsed against the stone road, hydraulics finally giving out, claws still clasped against the edge of the cliff. Slowly, slowly it slipped backwards, claws losing their grip.

Until it fell, spiralling into the endless darkness.

Karl stood at the edge of the cliff, burning into his mind the last memory he'll ever have of that enigmatic zoid.

Turning, he cast his eyes on the prone figure of Serenity, lying at the feet of the silent bronze Organoid, eyes no longer glowing.

Karl approached.

Hands shaking he reached for her.

A soft touch brushed against his fingertips.

Serenity's hand reached out and touched his, their fingers entwining.

With a gasp of relief Karl embraced her, holding her close, shaking with emotion.

_Thank god. Thank god..._

_

* * *

_

C'mon fess up. Who thought for a second there that I actually killed Thomas? ;D

Or what about who thought I killed Serenity? ;D

Buahahahaa! Take that! I'm so evil!

Also, on a completely different note. Zoid free-running is fun to write! :D

**Hold it!** It's not over yet! This is the last battle, but I never said it was the last chapter... So tune in next week for one last chapter! The Epilogue.

Personally I was a little hesitant at the idea of an epilogue after learning from Harry Potter that some stories really are better without one, but, Night Angel Trilogy taught me that some conclusions are more solid with one.

-Zoid Data-

This section was created to give readers some idea of the power comparison of each zoid mentioned in the fiction. After all, not everyone has the privilege of having an entire zoid encyclopaedia at one's beck and call.

Geno Trooper

Alliance: Imperial

Pilot: Ralph

Weight: 123.6t

Speed: Mach 2.1

Main Weaponry: (Power based on a point evaluation system)

Vulcan - 90

Focused Particle cannon - 300

4- Barrel Laser - 120

Hyper Claw - 200

Armour defence: 90

Note: First thing everyone should note that this is actually classified as a flying zoid as well as a Geno-type zoid. Characters with flying type specialty bonuses will have that bonus apply to this zoid. If you remember Ralph from Chaotic Century episode 29: Heroes of the Sky, you'd remember he was one of the pilots of the Black Redlers in that mock battle with Karl. In the only other episode I've seen of him (that I can recall) he was piloting Storm Sworders, as a result I had came to a conclusion he's a flying specialty pilot. Unfortunately in the Zoids world most flying zoids suck and would make crappy final battle bosses. This is why I chose to place him in the Geno Trooper, a fast flying Geno Breaker, fear in the sky! Its weapons may look weaker but boy is it fast, its first strike even out-reacting Karl in his low levels.

On a completely different topic, remember how I said how lightning works in the last chapter?

How lightning strikes follow the path of least resistance from a negatively charged point to a positively charged point?

I actually have no idea what a Charged Particle Cannon has. Lol

That being said an ungrounded zoid like the flying Geno Breaker wouldn't attract a thunder strike from the E-Driver of the Liger Zero X, however, being a machine, it will still short out when electricity is shoved into it by let's say... a stun blade.

Ok ok I know ppl don't care about the technicals but I DO!


	20. Epilogue

The very very very last chapter guys. Thank you for following this fic for so long. My very first fic in fact. I CAN'T believe I actually finished it!

Thank you to randomcat23 for being the first reviewer this week and for reviewing regularly throughout the entire story. Love yah! Let's celebrate our love of detail accuracy with this last chapter!

To Darkened-Storm: Indeed I love torturing the readers, but that is the way I show my love! Really! And the sequel... I really dunno... I'm still leaning to the no.

Before I forget, Merry Christmas to you all! *Throws snowflake confetti* AHHHH! JAMMING SNOW! *ducks*

**The title picture** **I drew for this fanfic is linked on my profile page**. Please take a look for a visual on Ren and the Diablo Tiger.

Disclaimer: I do not own Zoids or any of the characters in relation.

Thanks to DuskStarDragon, Darkrad and Darkened-Storm for Beta-ing my work.

Darkened-Storm's fic is Zoids: Rebirth Century, another fic based around a failed assassination attempt lol.

DuskStarDragon's fic is A Bounty hunter's Gentleman, another Karl fic.

* * *

Affinity

Epilogue

A morning mist cast over the cemetery, enshrouding the mourners with its moist embrace.

Seven coffins lay side by side, each covered with the dragon crested Imperial flag.

Line upon line of soldiers stood in attention, each one of them bearing a black armband upon their left arm. The First Panzer Division stood before the seven coffins, farewelling their own.

To the front of the congregation, the men's families stood. Five of the seven had been from Guygalos, the other two had been from elsewhere in the Empire. Their families had been flown over for the ceremony.

Mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, wives and children, watching the ceremony with muted grief.

Beside them stood the young Colonel, his mint green eyes stared unfocused upon the unfolding ceremony. Colonel Schubaltz stood at the head of his soldiers, garbed in his ceremonial uniform, standing next to the grieving families. Their grief weighed heavily upon his shoulders.

The lives of these men were his responsibility.

Lieutenant Braun's body had been found at the entrance to Riv Town, not long after his murder, the jagged tooth marks upon his neck told the tale of his last moments. His wife stood in front of his coffin, head bowed in mourning.

The other families came to farewell the other six.

The six that were with him that fateful day.

The six that died in his place.

Karl watched on numbly as five of the coffins were laid into the earth, their families walking forward to pay their last respects.

Karl called to attention the men at his back.

Together they saluted their farewell.

Sergeant Eichel's coffin was borne upon the shoulders of six pallbearers. He was one of the soldiers who came from beyond Guygalos. His coffin was being carried from the cemetery to an awaiting hearse; he was to be taken to the airbase to be flown home with his parents.

Karl watched as Eichel's coffin was placed into the hearse, remembering the moment he made the decision that saved Karl's life, and traded six lives his one.

A decision Eichel never lived to regret.

A decision Karl has to live with for the rest of his life.

Karl wanted to approach the families.

He wanted to offer his condolences.

But he found he could not face them.

The moment the ceremony ended, Karl strode briskly away, headed for the military chartered car. As he shut the door behind him he was greeted by the chauffer already in the driver's seat.

Karl sat back in his seat, eyes unfocused, cast far over the misty cemetery as the car began its slow journey back to base.

"Brooding is so unlike you."

Karl started, then turned, he had been unaware another person joined him in the car.

That person sat across the car from him, white eyebrow raised in an inquisitive look.

"Doctor D? I wasn't aware you were at the ceremony."

"Not surprising considering you didn't even notice me in the car."

Karl did not answer; he was in no mood to humour the good doctor.

After a passing moment of silence, Doctor D leant forward to close the glass separating the back seat from the driver's seat, obscuring the sound so they could converse privately.

"Colonel Schubaltz, I came with a purpose." Doctor D began, "it's concerning the artificial Organoids."

Karl frowned. Couldn't this wait till he was back in base?

"Both the Republicans and Imperials rounded up over a hundred Organoids altogether, all of them shut down at the same time. There's probably more, they are still examining cores of remaining zoids, most of which had been restrained the moment your warning came. When you took out their human commander every one of them shut down, and not a moment too soon."

"I didn't kill him." Karl corrected wearily.

Doctor D smiled not unkindly. "But without you, the Diablo Tiger might not have acted as it did. Don't put yourself down so hard. Those soldiers died to save more lives than your own."

Karl looked at him sharply.

"The zoids that invaded Guygalos had made their way through the districts unopposed, but stopped before they reached the bunker in which the Emperor was taking Shelter. There was some civilian casualty but on the whole it was far less than it could have been."

Karl nodded, eyes cast down.

Doctor D watched him, empathetic.

"Oh there's some good news Colonel." Doctor D said, a strange look dawning upon his face. "You reported that there are others involved in the incident. Others of certain degrees of influence within the Empire and possibly the Republic as well. Well we believe we've made a breakthrough."

This snapped Karl out of his wallowing misery. "What of it?"

"We found a data cache in the Organoids, a registry of secondary pilots if you will, about twelve of them. Apparently they were able to obey the commands of any of those registered within them, but they were not programmed to actively seek them out in case they drew attention to them." Doctor D paused, his face twisting, like he's trying to keep his face straight in the delivery of a joke. "Interesting thing though, when the military went to arrest them, they found most of them had gone into hiding. Only three are accounted for, one of which is dead."

Karl frowned, that wasn't good news.

"So we've decided on another approach. You see, we brought out nine of those frozen Organoids. Played around with their settings, now they're programmed to seek those pilots out, with a tracking bug on board."

Karl finally smiled. "Clever." He shook his head slightly. "I would never have thought of that."

"Of course not, that's why you have your brother here, to do all the technical thinking for you."

"He came up with that idea?"

"Yes, ingenious don't you think?"

Karl nodded his agreement, Thomas was clever, he never doubted it.

"Speaking about secondary pilots... we found the pilot registry in the mountain-top base in Blare Ridge." Doctor D looked at Karl meaningfully.

Karl frowned. "You found who the other secondary pilot was?"

Doctor D smiled and nodded, and handed him a sheet of paper, a print out from an identification record.

On the top right hand corner was the black and white photograph of a fifteen year old boy, dressed in the uniform of a student of the Officer's Academy, his name printed in bold next to it.

A look of surprise crossed Karl's face as recognised his own younger visage. "But that's me..."

His eyes wandered to the details below and spotted the name of the one who registered him.

"Niklas Schubaltz..." Karl murmured in astonishment, eyes lingering to the date. "A week before his death..."

"Do you know what this registry is for Schubaltz?" Doctor D put forth. "When you have exactly the same rights to the system as the rest of the pilots did?"

Karl shook his head.

"It was to hide you."

Karl looked at the doctor, bewildered.

"Have you not noticed? Every pilot registered in there is dead. The only one still alive is you." Doctor D paused. "I believe your father created this catch secretly, he probably knew something was afoul..." Doctor D turned meaningfully to Karl. "He probably knew you would finish what he started. You're so much like your father."

Karl's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You knew my father?"

"Well of course," Doctor D replied casually with a smile, "we had a chat once."

"You..."

"Was a researcher of one of the undisclosed research facilities. Yep. Not the one your father worked for mind you, nor was I with the Organoid developers, but we've crossed paths."

Karl couldn't wrap his mind around it.

"Of course, this was when we were both younger. I was working for one of the facilities that was about to break from the Empire, one of the first your father had questioned. Quite a polite man he was, though not very thorough, never did figure out that we were leaving the Empire.

Karl had to smile at that, he couldn't imagine his father as a young man, about to begin his first major assignment.

"Back then, there was much political turmoil. Understand that those that left to form the Republic wished independence, not harm to the Empire. Your father figured that much out, rather, he had mostly focused on looking for facilities deeper within Imperial territory, believing they were placed for more sinister purposes. I don't know how and why he joined with the Blare Ridge facility later, but considering he was developing a zoid to counter those Artificial Organoids, I can only imagine it was for good reason."

Karl nodded, from the moment he pulled together the details around the Organoids, he knew. His father was not a traitor.

Seeing the relief upon Karl's face Doctor D smiled, satisfied he fulfilled his role as a Doctor in the more human-sense. "Well then Schubaltz, I do believe this is your stop."

The car was slowing down, Karl looked out of the window, surprised. It should have taken much longer than this to get back to base. Wait a minute... this isn't base! This was the hospital!

"Remember to buy flowers."

Karl swivelled around, horrified. "I have to go back to work!"

"Now Colonel, I've already debriefed you with everything they were going to tell you at base." Doctor D procured an official looking document ordering Karl's release for immediate service leave. "As of now you're on a month's vacation!"

Karl's jaw hung open. What?

"I-I- work-" Karl stuttered, unable to pull a straight sentence together.

"In one month's time!" Doctor D replied, before reaching across to unlatch the door, ushering Karl out. "You haven't even finished your last vacation yet, so your superiors decided that considering the amount of mental and physical strain your last mission put on you, you are to be put on immediate vacation to recover your spirits. Under the doctor's recommendation of course" he added with a wink. "And don't worry. Your brother is taking care of the rest of the reports."

Karl stood outside the car, still dressed in his uniform of formal occasions, a look of distress across his face. Doctor D scooted over to the open door to offer one last piece of advice.

"Trust me, when you get to my age, that age gap becomes completely insignificant."

With that he pulled the door shut and the car took off, leaving Karl standing dumbstruck in the street.

* * *

_Deep breath, deeeeep breath._

Black Lily in hand, Karl strode down the hall to the private ward of the third floor of the hospital. Serenity had been taken a local medical centre when the Whale King dropped in a flying scout and Karl had waved it down. The moment she was stable she was transferred to a Guygalos private hospital and had been here for a few days now. Karl had planned to visit her before, discretely, but he kept putting it off. Now he felt guilty.

As he reached the door, his hand held forward ready to knock, he heard a commotion from within.

"-back to bed young lady!"

"Hell no! I'm out of here!"

"Don't make me- Hey! Come back here!"

The door swung inwards as Karl's knuckles paused against the wooden planes, and out strode an fuming Serenity, whose expression quickly turned to that of surprise.

Before anything could be said a nurse appeared behind her, grabbed a fistful of her shirt collar and pulled her back inside.

Karl stood at the door, unsure as to what proper etiquettes dictate under such a situation, and opted to knock awkwardly on the door frame.

The nurse turned around to Karl, about to order him out before recognising who he was, then she positively swooned.

Serenity sat on her bed, suddenly well behaved, looked sullen and apprehensive. She sported a gauze padding taped to her cheek and her right arm was through a sling. Karl felt even guiltier for not visiting.

"Umm.. may I come in?" Karl asked, unsure of how to interpret that look.

"Of course! Of course! Make yourself at home!" The nurse blustered, suddenly star struck.

Karl looked to Serenity, she did not answer. He decided that was about as close to an invitation as he was going to get and stepped inside.

After a moment, the nurse finally got the message that the patient and the war hero wanted some privacy and tactfully stepped out. Before the door even closed she was tearing off down the hall, headed for the gossip room.

Unsure of how to begin, Karl cast his eyes about the room awkwardly, trying to find a conversation starter. His eyes fell upon the cupboard, the place where the patient's belongings and clothing were stored, open and bare, a padlock laid broken on the ground. The plastic covered coat hangers had been strewn across the floor, the patient's smock thrown over them for good measure. Karl acknowledged the implications but decided that it was not the appropriate topic for a conversation starter. It was then he suddenly remembered he had the conversation starter clutched tightly in his hand.

"I bought you this." Karl said, stepping forward, offering the lily, neatly clipped, stem wrapped in a fancy gift paper. "I didn't know what your favourite flower was... So I brought you mine..."

... Smooth...

Serenity's eyebrow shot up, attempting to hide her amusement, she wasn't about to throw him a line there.

"Umm..." Karl continued, realising Serenity wasn't about to accept his gift, causing him to panic. He wasn't trained to handle these situations! "I'm sorry I didn't visit till now... I was-"

Busy with work?

Depressed?

Too nervous to come see you?

As true as these may be none of them seemed like the correct answer to give.

Karl gave an inward sigh, his struggle precipitating onto his face. "I'm sorry ok? I did mean to come. I was worried about you."

Serenity continued to stare him down with a cold expression until Karl had been all but convinced that he was not forgiven, that was until her lips twitched upwards.

Serenity burst out laughing, finally giving in, to Karl's immense relief and confusion.

"The look on your face!" Serenity choked with tears in her eyes.

A small relieved smile touched Karl's face. "I see, you were just joking with me..."

"Nope. I'm mad." She answered, crossing her arms and composing her face into a stern look, then softening into a small smile she said, "however if you meant what you said, I'll forgive you."

She reached out to pluck the lily from his grasp, a meaningful look in her eyes. "I think this has become my favourite flower too..."

Karl caught the undertone in her voice, his logic puzzling out what the hint probably meant. She was giving him an opening. He opened his mouth. "How are you feeling?"

He screwed it up.

Serenity almost face-palmed, but played along with it anyway. "Not bad, but I'd feel much better if I was out of the hospital."

"They're not letting you out?"

"No, I'd be out if _someone_ had come around to sign my release papers."

"Oh... They didn't accept your signature?"

"Apparently _someone_ had signed me into the hospital under _his_ name."

That's right... Well in his defence she wasn't an Imperial citizen and wasn't exactly eligible for healthcare, signing her in under his name was the only way he could secure a transfer to this hospital.

"Well... I'm here now. I'll fix that."

"What about you? Are you ok?" Serenity asked, tone changing. "I remember you were hurt pretty bad too."

"I'm fine."

"Liar."

"I really am. Apart from my concussion the rest of my injuries were all superficial."

Serenity leant forward and poked his cheek causing him to wince, he completely forgotten he still had a heavy bruise there, albeit fading. He turned away trying to away to hide the bruise that must still exist on the left side of his face but Serenity stopped him. Hand cupped to his cheek, she turned his face around, surprisingly gently, and brushing his hair aside.

"Right... fine..."

"I was until you poked me." He turned to face her, spotting the mischievous grin on her face and he suddenly flushed a deep crimson from Déjà Vu. However it seemed this time she was to behave herself, she retreated a few paces back, leaving Karl feeling oddly disappointed.

"So... What do you plan to do now?" Karl asked, trying desperately to cover up his embarrassment.

Serenity paused for a second, looking like she was actually seriously thinking about it, before answering. "Construction work."

Karl gave a start of surprise.

"I mean why not?" Serenity continued. "After all Guygalos is in need of rebuilding and I heard Construction pays well."

"But... but..."

"I'm joking! Relax! I can't do anything with my arm in a sling."

"Then I was thinking..." Karl began, then suddenly remembered his house was one of those that sustained damage that day. "Oh wait...My residence is in no condition to take guests..."

"That's fine." Serenity said, twirling the lily between her fingers. "I was about to return to the Republic anyway."

"You're leaving?"

"I think so."

"But..." Karl paused, unsure of what is supposed to say. "I don't want you to leave..."

"Karl..."

A though dawned upon Karl and a look of pondering crossed his features. "How about I come with you?"

Serenity did a double take.

"I'm on vacation right now... and I have to for a month." Karl said reasonably, "and I thought, since I haven't seen much of the Republic before... at peace anyway..."

"You want to come with me...? To see the Republic?"

"I want to come, to see you."

Serenity paused, a strange look flickered past her eyes.

Karl took a deep breath, "I want... I... Will you..." He swallowed hard, "Will you give me another chance?"

A silence permeated the room, neither eye leaving the other. Slowly Serenity approached again, eyes locked fast to his, she leant forward breath upon his lips. "Only if you give me another."

With that Karl leant in, brushing across her lips gently and hesitantly then pulling her into a deep kiss.

**Clang-crash!**

They leapt apart in surprise, turning to the source of the commotion.

On the floor sprawled Thomas, back pressed against the open doorframe, a look of shock and horror upon his face. Behind him gathered a cluster of nurses (and doctors), peering intently into the ward, who upon Karl's notice, darted quickly away, attempting to pretend they were just passing by.

Thomas pulled himself to his feet, face still set in a grimace of disbelief. Karl flushed furiously for a reason he could not fathom.

Thomas cleared his throat, attempted to say something but ended up gesturing to the door. Karl turned to Serenity and excused himself with the promise that he'd straighten things out with the hospital then strode out quickly with Thomas following at his heels. It wasn't until they stepped into the elevator did Karl finally turn to Thomas, only to discover his grimace was replaced by a triumphant grin.

"Hey Karl, remember what I said to you two weeks ago in this very hospital?"

"No..."

"I accused you of getting in trouble due to chasing girls... and behold, I was right! I never thought I'd live to see the day! Who'd have thought? My brother? The stick in the mud!"

Karl bristled with annoyance. "I may not be your officer right now, but I am still your elder."

"Not one hour into your holiday and already you're getting some..." Thomas puckered his lips together to make a sappy kissy face.

"Thomas!" Karl cried indignantly, turning beet red.

The elevator opened, and not a moment too soon, Karl stormed out into the lobby. Thomas chased after him, realising he might have crossed the line a tad.

"Don't get me wrong, I think it's wonderful." Thomas said hurriedly, trying to mend the situation. "Congratulations."

Karl did not answer, opting simply to march straight for the receptionist desk and ask for the release forms. Thomas felt utterly dejected, maybe he shouldn't have started pushing his brother's buttons so early in his holiday.

Karl sorted out the paperwork with professional efficiency and arranged for a doctor to go upstairs to sign the release papers. He headed back for the elevator, Thomas dogging his heels.

"I'm sorry Karl."

"..."

"You know I don't usually get to catch you off-guard."

"..."

"Can I at least give you a message from HQ?"

"... So you didn't come just to annoy me?"

"No, actually I was getting your vacations papers sorted. They were sort of expecting you to arrive to sort them out yourself, but you know how it is with Doctor D."

"So I _was_ meant to return to base?" Karl exclaimed aghast as he stepped into the elevator and hit the third floor button.

"That's no big deal. Your superior seemed more than happy to kick you out for the decade of holiday leave you refused to take." Thomas answered as he stepped in beside Karl. "Everyone agreed that you really need a holiday now, whether you think so or not."

"Just when the house is in an unliveable state too..."

"It's not as bad as you think."

"Wasn't it damaged in the assault?"

"You... didn't see for yourself?"

"I was busy."

Thomas sighed, figures. "Then you'll be happy to know it's in good enough shape that your documents and flower survived."

Karl perked up at those words.

"And yes" Thomas continued, "I went and picked them up for you. You're welcome."

"Much obliged."

Thomas glowed, feeling a little more forgiven.

The elevator opened to the third floor, which, was surprisingly empty compared to how it was when they left for the lobby. Thomas swivelled his head around cautiously, before finally giving Karl the last piece of military news.

"One last thing..." he started. "About the... three special zoids."

Karl paused mid-step.

"Of the two Ligers, neither was salvageable. Both lost their entire structural integrity."

"And what of the Tiger?"

"Nothing... we found nothing. We found the body of that ex-military but not the zoid he came down with."

Karl breathed in slowly, memory clicking as he slowly turned a possibility around in his head. A creature like that could support its entire bodyweight upon a vertical slope... as well as self-repair extensive chassis damage in less than twelve hours...

_Luck of the devil indeed_. Karl thought with a smile. No body to be found meant it survived, for nobody could have moved something that size out of the area without the military of the two nations noticing, they had secured the area the moment the crisis was over. However what they might have missed was the Tiger cloak and sneak away.

Karl lowered his head in acknowledgement. Now that it finished what it was created to do, would he ever see it again?

"But more importantly Karl..." Thomas said, lowering his voice, "about the 'other two'..." He glanced around the hall, satisfied Karl was the only one in earshot. "Of the two Ligers, both cores were salvaged."

Karl looked to Thomas, eyebrows raised, understanding the implications but not the extent.

"These cores are to be shared" Thomas continued, still barely higher than a whisper, "One for the Empire and one for the Republic... as a gift of friendship, for their support through this crisis."

Karl nodded, that was a sensible diplomatic step.

"Now, both sides are beginning development on the two cores as a joint project. The Republic requested the mountain-top research data, they're planning to recreate the Liger..." He trailed off, eye suspiciously following a doctor who strolled down the hall past them and waited till he was out of sight. "The Empire, however... are planning something a little more grand."

"What do you mean 'grand'?"

"Remember how I told you the core was created through the fusion of a Liger's and a Geno's?"

"Yes... Oh. The empire is developing that core into a Geno?"

"Now you're getting it." Thomas paused, looking suddenly haughty. "And guess who's been selected to head the project?"

"You?"

"How did you guess?" Thomas smiled brilliantly, happiness etched upon every fibre of his expression.

A smile touched Karl's lips, he felt a surge of pride for his younger brother. "I never realised you were coveted for your zoid development skills as well."

"Not at all!" Thomas exclaimed cheerfully, "they want me for Beek. Those cores only work when linked to External AI circuits!" He suddenly fell silent, his face solemn. "Karl... this is the biggest thing that's ever happened to me..."

Karl nodded, taken aback by the sudden mood change.

"I've always been trying to live up to you... I've never been able to get out of your shadow."

Karl did not respond, this was not something Thomas talked about, but Karl knew.

"But Karl... I think, because of it..." Thomas said, a faint smile touching his lips, "that I finally achieved what I have today."

Karl smiled. Thomas worked hard all his life to become someone more than just 'the younger brother of Karl Schubaltz'. Nobody deserved this more than him.

"Which is why." Thomas continued, a wide grin breaking across his features. "I want you to become the first registered pilot of my new Organoid System!"

A look of surprise touched Karl's features, then quickly changed into a matching smile. "I'll be honoured to accept."

"Well, after your holiday, I should have the program updated enough to register. Come around to Blare Ridge Research Facility, that's where project Fury will take place!"

"Project Fury?"

"Yeah, I came up with the name myself. Pretty catchy isn't it?"

"It's certainly... unique."

"Well during time of development, we'll have you gain practice in a Geno Saurer simulation. When the Fury development confirms the final set up of the cockpit, we'll upgrade your simulator as needed."

"I can hardly wait."

They were walking again, headed to Serenity's room, a smile upon both their lips. They spotted the doctor who passed them in the hallway, exiting from the room, Serenity walked out after him. Upon spotting Karl she bounded over and took a hold of his hand. "Okay! Let's go tour the Republic!"

Thomas gave a start of surprise, Karl sent him an apologetic look, he had forgotten to mention the fact he'll be travelling the whole month. No doubt Thomas had been looking forward to visiting him when off-duty.

"I'll see you... after a month then..." Karl said apologetically, before adding, "I thought I'd try spending this holiday like a real holiday..."

"You should..." Thomas agreed with a smile, "Have fun. After all, this is your special day."

"My holiday?"

"No..." Thomas said, with a look of disbelief.

Karl turned with a start as a soft familiar object landed on his head.

He felt it and to his surprise he realised it was the hat he thought he'd lost. He turned to face Serenity with surprise on his face.

"Happy Birthday Karl." She said reaching up on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on his bottom lip. "Today you turn thirty."

* * *

That's all folks! Its over!

Omg... this is surreal! I did it! I actually did it! I finished something I started!

So a holiday for Karl huh? Buahahaha! I just had a mental image of Karl wearing a loud Hawaiian shirt, shorts and sunburn! I can't stop laughing! xD

* * *

-Zoid Data-

This section was created to give readers some idea of the power comparison of each zoid mentioned in the fiction. After all, not everyone has the privilege of having an entire zoid encyclopaedia at one's beck and call.

Berserk Fury

Alliance: Imperial

Pilot: Karl Schubaltz

Weight: 127t

Speed: 340km/h

Main Weaponry: (Power based on a point evaluation system)

Buster Claw - 280

Diffuse Particle Cannon - 250

Electron Shield - 400 def

Strike Laser Claw - 220

Armour defence: 100

Note: Did anyone catch me hinting about this zoid in this chapter? That's what I truly think happened. The fact is this zoid and the Liger Zero share exactly the same components needed for development, the Ultimate X core and the Wild Zi Data. The Ultimate X core, under its description claimed it to be a zoids core plus an organoid system, unique to that of the Berserk Fury and the Liger Zero. The wild Zi Data was just a data cache... possibly of Thomas' Beek data?

Conspiracy Theory: Ok here goes. This "black box organoid system" of the Ultimate X zoids, anyone else think "BEEK!" the moment they saw it? How it makes the zoids talk to their pilots in indistinguishable ways like Beek did to Thomas. My idea was that the black box organoid system was just an upgraded version of Beek. My theory is that Thomas was the developer of the Liger Zero and the Berserk Fury's organoid systems. Because think about it! These two zoids have exactly the SAME CORE as well as the data cache to boot. They share the same Organoid data thus why they recognised similar people as their pilots. Because like I said before, Bit looks an awful lot like Karl's younger days. So imagine that, the Liger stumbles upon a young pilot that looks like Karl but sounds like Van, voice and face recognition goes ding ding ding! Two pilots for the price of one! Same deal with the Fury. It picked up a pilot that looked like Raven but sounded like Rudolf! Think about it! Those zoids must have been trippin! My theory is, that during development, Karl would have been registered as a pilot, and be trained in a Geno Saurer simulator thus giving him his lvl 1 Geno piloting ability, afterwards he would assume the piloting of the Fury thus granting him his lvl 2 Fury pilot title. At some point along the line Raven will be recruited into this due to his pre-existing Geno skills, as will Van who's the Republic's best Liger pilot. Rudolf would probably be registered just 'cause he's the Emperor or his curiosity got the better of him and Thomas is a loyal Imperialist. At some point in time the Liger Zero disappears and starts making rounds in zoid dealerships and the Berserk Fury gets sealed into a metal box and tossed into the ocean, only to end up eventually in their respective locations at the beginning of New Century. Liger Zero with the Blitz team after Dr. Toros buys it from a shady zoid dealer, and Berserk Fury with the Backdraft after it gets fished out.

One last thing: If there's one thing I learnt from Disney, it's that one should leave well enough alone. Badly made sequels destroys everything the original creates. I am still personally recovering from the Mulan 2 fallout, every day I tell myself ten times in the mirror that the Mulan cannon ended with 1 and that the events of Mulan 2 are a part of my hyperactive imagination. Unless a follow-up story could be thought up that matches or surpasses the first in quality, it is an abomination and should not exist! This is why, I will endeavour to leave well enough alone.

Some of you will say "Yay! We hate Disney Sequels!" and others will go "Nooo! We want more!" but all I'll say is. If I write another story, it'll be about the creation of the Ultimate X zoids and how they ultimately end up where they do... however that being said... scientific developments of such a massive scale take on average ten years to finish... and even then it's still the bloody prototype. My point is if I write a sequel, Karl will be over forty. Yeah, that's right, I can totally mind-picture you guys backing away slowly buahahaha!

For those of you who'd then go "How about a fic about their adventures travelling?" I'd have to decline yet again. I can't write anything so plot-less... I'm simply no good at random romantic drabbles. I'm terrible at the two aspects that'd make something like that... Romance and social interactions... and frankly I personally I'm not a fan of Travelling... Why travel when everything you want to see can be seen on Google Earth? So altogether I'd be major fail at writing something like that.

See? It's better if you use your own imagination to fill in the gaps. I've done enough conspiracing.

That being said, if anyone wishes to take my ideas about the creation of the Ultimate X be my guest. Conspiracies are made to be spread!

Actually... I'm not completely unreasonable. If I get a huge influx of people wanting a sequel I will do one. Personally I think sequels are abominations... but who am I to oppose the opinions of the valued readers?


End file.
